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James Bond bosses are willing to delay the next movie in a bid to keep Daniel Craig .

The 47-year-old actor looks set to step down as 007 in order to star in 20-part TV series Purity but executives at MGM, who produce the franchise, have told him they will push back the 25th installment of the series to give him time to shoot the show and be back to play the suave spy for a fifth time.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Daniel leaving the franchise at this moment is something MGM cannot stomach.

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"He is a major draw and a key player in terms of raising money for the films. As Bond he has brought in $2billion.

"Daniel has not told anyone yet if he will return definitively.

Read more:Daniel Craig says he would rather 'slash his wrists' than play James Bond again

"They know he wants to do Purity and had hoped to get the new film in cinemas next year, but they have vowed to push it back a year to help make his schedule easier."

Pre-production on the next Bond movie is due to begin in the next few weeks, while Daniel is expected to begin shooting Purity - which will be an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's novel - later this year.