Sam Mendes: It's time for a new James Bond director

HAY-ON-WYE — Sam Mendes is finished with James Bond.

The acclaimed British director of "Skyfall" and "SPECTRE" says it's "time for someone else" to take the helm of the long-running spy series. Mendes told an audience yesterday at the Hay Festival of literature in Wales that directing Bond films had been "an incredible adventure."

But, he says, "I'm a storyteller and at the end of the day I want to make stories with new characters."

There's been no announcement about whether Daniel Craig will return as 007 for the 25th Bond film. Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are among his rumored replacements, but Mendes says lobbying by fans is pointless.

"It's not a democracy ... (Producer) Barbara Broccoli decides who is going to be the next Bond, end of story," he says.