With Daniel Day-Lewis retired and the prospect of Robert Redford doing the same, we have to put our foot down when it comes to suggestions that Tom Hardy is also looking at quitting acting. There's no way this can be allowed to happen! But, having turned 40 last year, he thinks now's the time.

Tom Hardy at the Prince's Trust AwardsTom Hardy at the Prince's Trust Awards

To the distress of millions of fans, the 'Taboo' star could be set to call time on his acting career as he confesses that he's tired of his job and would prefer to turn his focus on to something else. 

'What is it that draws you to the craft? At this age, I don't know anymore', he told Esquire. 'I've kind of had enough. If I'm being brutally honest, I want to go on with my life.'

He seemed to allude to the possibility of a more relaxing future now that he was approaching middle-age, confessing: 'You've summited Everest... Do you want to go all the way back and do it again? Or do you want to get off the mountain and go f***ing find a beach?'

Still, he's got at least four more movies and a third and final series of 'Taboo' - which he co-wrote with his father Chips Hardy and Steven Knight. He's set to play the lead role in Marvel's forthcoming 'Venom' movie; his second superhero movie appearance after playing Bane in 'The Dark Knight Rises'. And then he'll play Al Capone in the new biopic 'Fonzo'.

Meanwhile, he's also been announced to return for 'Mad Max: Fury Road' sequel 'The Wasteland', as well as Andrew Dominik's Navy SEALS action adventure 'War Party'.

But even after that, Tom doesn't plan to disappear off the face of the Earth entirely. Instead, working on 'Taboo' has inspired him to pursue work on the other side of the lens. 'What I'd like to do is produce. Write. Direct', he said.

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He is currently down to co-produce a new 'A Christmas Carol' TV series coming next year via his production company Hardy, Son & Baker.