Never fear, Alfred is still here. Many younger moviegoers know Michael Caine from The Dark Knight trilogy and as a frequent collaborator with Christopher Nolan’s other work (who could forget his opening and closing monologues in The Prestige?). Those older (and hardcore) cinephiles know him from his Academy Award winning performances in Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules, and from the original Get Carter.

We can all share a sigh of relief as the recent reports of his upcoming retirements are in fact false. The 88-year-old actor’s recent interview with BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo sparked the rumor, with Caine stating, “I haven’t worked for two years and I have a spine problem which affects my legs so I can’t walk very well, and I also wrote a couple of books which were published and were successful, so I’m now not an actor. I’m a writer.”

Caine shortly after issued a statement denying any sort of retirement claim. “Regarding retirement, I’ve spent over 50 years getting up at 6 a.m. to make movies, and I’m not getting rid of my alarm clock!” Caine told The Hollywood Reporter. Caine’s representatives clarified that he hasn’t actually retired. Caine was merely suggesting that his days as a leading actor were behind him, as reported by Alex Young of Consequence Film.

He’s signed on to star in Now You See Me 3, and you can bet that he’ll have some part to play in Nolan’s next epic Oppenheimer, as he’s been collaborating with the legendary writer/director since 2005. Caine’s films in total have grossed $8 billion to date, so in addition to being a two-time Oscar winner and one of the most professional and well regarded actors in the business, his pictures make bank, so of course studios would like him to keep getting up at 6 a.m.