James Bond to go to Croatia for 25th film

James Bond will battle a blind super-villain in Croatia in the upcoming 25th instalment, tentatively titled "Shatterhand", reports say.

The next film in the long-running franchise, which will see actor Daniel Craig fighting a blind antagonist, is based on the 1999 thriller "Never Dream Of Dying" by author Raymond Benson, who also wrote Bond books "Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day" and "The World is Not Enough", reports mirror.co.uk.

The novel opens with a police raid on a French movie studio that goes badly wrong, while an actress with a sordid past leads Bond to his final target.

"Bond scriptwriters feel it could be the perfect follow-up to 'Spectre'. They are hoping to film in Croatia next year," said a source. 

The source added that the producers were furious when a local mayor revealed that they had been scouting for locations in the coastal tourist hotspot of Dubrovnik.

Craig, who has been playing the famous spy since the 2006 film "Casino Royale", has not yet been announced as being back as the British Secret Service agent.

But there are reports that the 49-year-old star is set to return for his fifth stint in the series despite declaring he would rather "slash his wrists than play the secret agent again".

The 25th James Bond film will hit cinemas in November 2019.