Daniel Craig has knee surgery after Bond injury

Daniel Craig has had surgery to repair a knee injury sustained while filming scenes for the new James Bond film.

Eon Productions said he had had a "minor procedure" in New York during a break in production over Easter.

A spokeswoman denied reports the 47-year-old had missed several days of filming on the 24th Bond film, Spectre.

"During a scheduled break, Daniel Craig had arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee injury. He will rejoin production on April 22nd at Pinewood," she said.

Filming on Spectre began at Pinewood Studios, in Buckinghamshire, last December, and has since moved to Rome and Mexico.

It is Craig's fourth outing as the secret service agent, and follows the success of 2012's Skyfall, which made $1.1 billion (£737 million) worlwide.

The film features Christoph Waltz playing a character called Oberhauser - which, in the novels, is the name of Bond's former skiing instructor. However, it has been rumoured the actor will be revealed as Bond's old nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Blofeld was the "number one" in Spectre, an international crime syndicate which last featured in the Sean Connery-era films.

The shady organisation also counted the metal-handed scientist Dr Julius No and eyepatch-wearing Emilio Largo amongst its villainous ranks.