Bond 24 now has a title, a title that will be familiar to fans of the series way before the Daniel Craig’s days as 007: SPECTRE.

In press conference at the 007 Sooundstage in the U.K.’s Pinewood Studios, the cast and title of the next big screen mission for James Bond was revealed. Joining Daniel Craig as the iconic MI6 super spy will be Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Lea Seydoux.

Director Sam Medes, who helmed the last outing Skyfall, which took in over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, is back as expected to shoot the film in London, Rome, Mexico City, Tangier, Erfoud and the Austrian Alps.

Returning to the series are Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, and Ralph Fiennes as M.

Here is the film’s official synopsis from EON Productions, MGM,and Sony Pictures:

A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

The return of the terrorism organization SPECTRE, which means Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion re-introduces a part of classic Bond mythos. Waltz, who has been circling the casting carousel for several weeks, had been rumored to play the part of SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a Bond adversary who appeared in many installments during the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras. For those new to the game, the villain was the no so subtle inspiration for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series, which heavily played upon Blofeld’s look and included his cat companion. The casting announcement has the Django Unchained actor playing Oberhauser seems to debunk his role a Blofeld, but who knows if a plot twist may prove otherwise.

The film begins principal photography on Monday, December 8th with a release set for November 6th, 2015.

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In this video interview conducted during 2012 The Toronto Film Festival, while talking up his new film Love Is All You Need, the topic of James Bond and the character’s upcoming 50th Anniversary was something that could not be overlooked, and Access’ Scott Mantz first asked Brosnan to reflect on his contribution to the enduring legacy of the series from 1995 to 2002.

“It’s a small group of men now who played this role. So I’m deeply proud to be a part of it. It changed my life. It in many ways allowed me to make my own company, make my own films, the Thomas Crown (Affair), or The Matador, or Evelyn. And it’s just the gift that keeps giving. So once you are that man, and if you embrace it, celebrate it, you can have a great time.”

But there was an unexpected response when asked about moving past the series and his reaction to the first time he saw Daniel Craig’s performance as the legendary secret agent in Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace.

“I haven’t!” he laughed.

“I haven’t seen his movies. I haven’t looked,” said the actor, who starred as 007 in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day.

“I think it’s time, Daniel. I know you’re doing great out there,” he said to camera to the current Bond. “I know he’s stealing thunder as he should and will continue to do so,” he added regarding his friend Daniel Craig.

He honestly elaborated his concerns on following Timothy Dalton’s two film stint as 007. “It was so difficult to enter into that that mansion, that world. And then to do it, and to get away with it and to have it live around you. And you to be the character, and when it finished I just had to keep looking in another direction because it’s a hard one to dig yourself out from under. Or to move on. Or how do you move on from it?'” he admitted.

But that’s not to say that Brosnan has not had the opportunity to check out the newer films in the series. He recalled a time when he was confronted with the perfect chance to watch Casino Royale, as an in-flight movie no less.

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007 may be celebrating his 50th Anniversary on the big screen this year, but there is clearly no sign of age with the release of Skyfall, the fantastic latest entry in the James Bond series and Daniel Craig’s third round as Ian Fleming’s iconic MI6 secret agent.

After suffering several years of crippling false starts, legal woes and studio shuffling, thankfully the 23rd Bond film found its way and lined up Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) to take the helm and follow up 2008’s dark, violent and disappointing Quantum of Solace. Not only does the Oscar-winning director boldly make his own mark on the series, Mendes steps it up by completely delivering one of the best Bond entries on the big screen (regardless of which 007 was your first).

Skyfall opens with a relentless thrill-a-minute opening chase sequence through Istanbul via motorbikes and trains that thrusts the film forward at full throttle. But at a critical moment, 007 is wounded by friendly fire from his field partner Eve (Naomie Harris), presumed killed in action and subsequently takes too kindly to a booze-heavy self-imposed retirement on a tropical island.

Unfortunately for Bond’s happily ever after is the whereabouts of the stolen hard drive containing the identities of NATO undercover agents he was assigned to secure during all the pre-opening credits action. The top secret intel has fallen into dangerous enemy hands, and M (Judi Dench) as head of MI6, is held accountable for its loss by the British brass. It’s up to Bond to find the drive and reclaim it back from the threat who is not only executing the uncover agents, but also has a personal vendetta against M.

The Bond that returns to action has lost his edge, and is painfully reminded that he is of a dying breed fighting terrorism. This fact is hammered in harder by no one more than Q (Ben Whishaw), 007’s new quartermaster. The new Q is not the whimsical elderly gadget wizard of the past, but rather a 21st-century bushy haired young IT snob. Q takes joy in boasting that he can inflict more damage in his pajamas with his laptop before his first morning tea than an aging trigger puller like Bond can do in a year on the field. While the blatant humor that previously accompanied the Q/Bond exchanges is a thing of the past, the clever reinvention here allows for some of the subtle (and rare) chuckles in Skyfall as it acknowledges the history in the previous installments.

It takes nearly an hour for Javier Bardem to appear as the unforgettable new villain, Silva, a former MI6 agent with a serious axe to grind with M who consistently stays one brilliant step ahead of his adversaries. Bardem brings both a grounded evil charisma, and bad ass flamboyance to the latest archenemy which will rank him up their with the best baddies of the series. It’s a fine line to walk between the evil mustache-twisting bombastic Roger Moore-era villains and the slick real world modern foes seen in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Bardem leaps way up off the tight rope and lands safely back down when it comes to his vengeful performance here.

To say ‘this time its personal’ is an understatement  It’s never been more personal a mission for Bond and M (who finally has a welcome substantial role here). To defeat Silva they both are confronted by demons from their past to extents we have never seen before. We even get a glimpse into the unexplored childhood of Bond that shaped him into the hardened government assassin he has become. The rock solid screenplay allows the film to delve deeper into these back stories and explore untouched aspects of these iconic characters.

It would be wrong to not applaud the gorgeous visuals courtesy of nine-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins. Sequences set in the streets of Istanbul, to the glass-encased neon-drenched skyscrapers of Shanghai, to metropolitan settings in London, to the highlands of Scotland for its back-to-basics gritty finale, the series has never had richer eyes behind the camera or been in better hands.

A staple of every Bond film is of course the fetching new ladies, played here by Bérénice Marlohe (Sévérine) and Naomie Harris (Eve). But as the new Bond girls, they as a team get a bit shortchanged in the overall story. There are also some well placed, if not brilliant (subtle and otherwise) homages to the past, and all that hype and controversy surrounding Bond drinking a nice cold Heineken have been vastly overblown (yes he does, but get over it folks).

Overall it does pull back a bit regarding a barrage of huge action set pieces to instead make time for thrilling suspense, heavy dialogue, and deep character development. But that makes for a better movie and does not mean it holds out entirely on the brawn. Craig brings another gritty A-game performance to the role and delivers with the extra dimensions the script allows him to take.

Skyfall at times takes it to a bare bones level with some selective, but impressive, explosive points to amp it up. But with a top notch villain in Bardem, the welcome additions of Ralph Finnes, Ben Wishaw and Naomie Harris to the cast, and a stripped down accessible James Bond like we’ve never seen before, the 23rd entry in the series delivers everything you want on many entertaining levels and ranks among the best of the recent class of sophisticated intelligent blockbusters.

In this third act of 007’s Daniel Craig-era, Skyfall pays due homage to the films of the past, and finds a solid place to soar forward in a new direction now complete with all the familiar trappings and legendary elements that have made Bond a cinematic icon for the past 50 years.

Happy Golden Anniversary indeed, Mister Bond.

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 143 minutes

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From IMAX:

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The teaser trailer for Die Hard 5, or as it’s officially known as, A Good Day To Die Hard, went viral. Bruce Willis returns as John MacLane, finds himself in Russia this time out, and teaming with his son played by Jai Courtney (Spartacus). The movie is set to hit the big screen on Valentine’s Day next year.

J.J. Abrams stopped by Conan on Thursday night to talk up his new NBC show Revolution. Lucky for Star Trek fans, he also brought with him the first official sneak peek from the sequel to his 2009 blockbuster big screen reboot of the series. It wasn’t exactly the in-depth look we had hoped for though,“It’s got to be really short,” Abrams told Conan. “It can’t be longer than three frames.” And that’s all of Star Trek Into Darkness we got to see, per Paramount’s strict shroud of secrecy.

American Horror Story returns for its second season on FX on October 17th. This year the chilling thriller moves from a haunted house of horrors to the 1960’s in an insane asylum (hence the addition of the subtitle). Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, and Sarah Paulson will be back, but as different characters. Check out the new preview.

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Hot on the heels of the unforgettable Olympics short film co-starring Daniel Craig and the newest Bond girl Queen Elizabeth II, the second trailer for Skyfall hit today. In addition to new juicy plot point hints, we get our first glimpse of Javier Bardem decked out in a blonde bouffant as 007’s latest villain, Silva, as well as a little more from the new Q played by Ben Whishaw.

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond adventure, and directed by Sam Mendes, is set to hit theaters and IMAX screens on November 9th.

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A new 30 second spot for the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, debuted during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympic Games. The next film in the series sees Daniel Craig return for his third turn as 007, and was directed by Sam Mendes.

The new look at the film followed the memorable short film directed by Danny Boyle that aired during the live broadcast that teamed up the iconic British MI6 super spy and Queen Elizabeth II. The tongue in cheek pre-recorded adventure concluded with a live parachute jump into Olympic Stadium.

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It was one of the 2012 London Opening Ceremony secrets that didn’t stay secret months ahead of time, talk of this was out there on the open rumor circuit, but indeed show director Academy Award Winner Danny Boyle, managed to team up Daniel Craig’s 007 and Queen Elizabeth II, who made her long awaited debut as a Bond Girl, in a tongue in cheek short film.

There were many prominent fictional and real life figures from UK history that made appearances during the four and a half hour event: Voldermort, Mary Poppins, JK Rowling, Rowan Atkison as Mr. Bean, David Beckham, Paul McCartney, and Daniel Craig as James Bond.

In the memorable spot, the iconic agent from Her Majesty’s Secret Service enters Buckingham Palace alongside the Royal Corgis, with a mission to escort the Queen via helicopter transport to the Opening Ceremonies, complete with a climatic parachute jump.

Enjoy.

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Desmond Llewelyn portrayed Q in 17 Bond films from 1963-1999 along side Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. When the actor passed away, John Cleese took over as the techy in 2002’s Die Another Day after appearing as Q’s assistant, R, in 1999’s The World Is Not Enough.

Whishaw is bringing a younger take on the character, and it remains to be seen if his lighthearted nature will be retained. The Daniel Craig-era Bond films have taken an edgy and violent direction for the series. and it will be interesting to see if there is a role for the type of campy moments previously associated with Q tutoring 007 on the latest MI6 gadgets.

Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, is set to hit theaters and IMAX screens on November 9, 2012.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly

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