It's time for a new James Bond director

Sam Mendes is finished with James Bond.

The acclaimed British director of Skyfall and Spectre said on Saturday he will not direct the next installment in the popular spy series that started with Sean Connery's startling 1962 performance in Dr. No.

"It was an incredible adventure. I loved every second of it," Mendes says of his five years working on the thriller franchise. "But I think it's time for somebody else."