We’ve confirmed that the long-running James Bond franchise is alive and well through at least the 25th installment. The current 007 leading man Daniel Craig will star in at least two more Eon Productions films. And Sony Pictures, which badly wanted back in the Bond business after backing Craig in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum Of Solace (2008) and the upcoming Sam Mendes-directed Skyfall (2012), is on board to co-finance those same 24th and 25th films in the series.

Craig has been a cranky Bond since his debut but at least he and his CAA reps are smart enough to recognize this is a gold mine of an opportunity. (Especially after his films Cowboys & Aliens and Dream House tanked and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo underperformed.) Skyfall opens overseas on October 26th and in North America on November 9th. Now the question is whether Craig will continue on to become the longest-serving Bond in the franchise of all the actors who’ve played the part. These five 007 films already make him the 3rd-longest-serving Bond actor. The James Bond franchise is the longest continually running film series in history. Eon Productions has produced 22 films at an average of about one every two years. The series has grossed just over $5 billion to date, making it the second-highest-grossing film series of all time behind Harry Potter, and the single most successful adjusted for inflation.