London, Jan 8 : Daniel Craig has said that the last two films in the James Bond franchise were deliberately taken in a different direction because Mike Myers'' `Austin Powers' trilogy ruined the spy genre.

The 40-year-old star starred in the last two Bond movies-2006''s `Casino Royale' and last year''s (08) `Quantum of Solace'-have shifted to a darker, less light-hearted tone as compared to their predecessors.

Craig is now convinced that Bond bosses will not take future 007 films back to the catchphrases and gags that characterised previous Bond incarnations.

And the actor has blamed Myers'' Austin Powers trilogy, which poked fun at all things Bond did, for the change.

"Don''t get me wrong, I''m up for (gags), as long as the gag works. But the problem is that Austin Powers screwed everything up. He exploded the genre," The Daily Express quoted him as saying. (ANI)