Announced at a live event broadcast on 007.com, the title of the upcoming 24th James Bond film has been confirmed as Spectre.
The event, which started at 10:50am on 4th December after having been announced just two days prior, saw the title and cast being confirmed only ten minutes later at 11:00am. The press-packed event was hosted by presenter Alex Zane at Pinewood Studios, where nearly all films in the Bond franchise have been filmed. Director Sam Mendes took to the stage to make the announcement.
Additionally, new cast members have been announced. In order of announcement, Andrew Scott has been cast as Denbigh, Dave Bautista as Mr Hinx, Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, Léa Seydoux as Madeline Swann, and finally Cristoph Waltz as rumoured villian Oberhauser.
Scott is a theatre actor, most famous for his role as Moriatty in BBC’s Sherlock; Bautista rose to prominence after a lead role in Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, following a professional wrestling career in which he has garnered six world championship titles; model Bellucci appeared in the Matrix franchise; Seydoux won a Cannes Film Festival award for her role in romantic drama Blue Is The Warmest Colour in 2013; and Academy Award winner Waltz has appeared in countless films, most notably Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglorious Basterds, and will star in the upcoming Tim Burton film Big Eyes.
All have been previously rumoured or reportedly involved with the project in previous weeks, though some only recently. They will appear alongside returning cast members Rory Kinear, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and others, in the film which will constitute actor Daniel Craig’s fourth venture into the role of secret agent James Bond.
The film will shoot on locations including London, Rome, Mexico, Austria and Morocco, as well as at Pinewood itself, over the next seven months. A number of production staff from previous films will return, alongside new cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and editor Lee Smith, who worked on Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and Interstellar.
Paying fitting tribute to previous films and personalities within the beloved franchise – the wait before the event was itself cheekily filled by previous Bond songs ‘All The Time In The World’ by Louis Armstrong, from 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ by Dame Shirley Bassey, from the 1971 film of the same name – this announcement will solidify excitement for the upcoming film in the minds of fans the world over.
Spectre will be released by EON, MGM and Sony Pictures on 23rd October 2015.
