Save for a silly title, we didn’t really know what to expect of the next Bond film before the announcement live from the 007 stage at Pinewood this morning.
And after a nice little medley of famous Bond tracks – a lovely touch – and a heady montage of Bond smooching and shooting his way through a classic franchise, it was down to business.
We’re fully briefed, the film is less than a year away from release, and here’s what you need to know...
1. The title
SPECTRE. Yes Bond aficionados, Sam Mendes isn’t messing around, already hinting at the involvement of Blofeld by naming the film after the titular terrorist organisation which he heads up, abbreviated from Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. It also continues the theme of one word Bond titles, which is no bad thing, and if you look closely at the logo you might even have spotted that the bullet hole damage mirrors the arms of the original SPECTRE logo. You can also see the official motion poster here:
2. Christoph Waltz will play the villain
"So Blofeld is back!" tweeted Sir Roger Moore of the film's title, and possibly Christoph Waltz directly. Now officially Bond's latest nemesis, Franz Oberhauser, it's fairly likely he's stepping into the shoes of one Ernest Stravo Blofeld, that iconic Bond villain.
3. Monica Bellucci will be the oldest ever Bond girl
GoldfingerTomorrow Never Dies. Mission Impossible
4. Another plot involving Bond’s past
Written by the same team behind Skyfall, and continuing Bond’s journey from the last film, cryptic message from the spy’s past will send him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation (might Bellucci’s character be a ghost from his past), while M stays in London and battles political forces to keep the secret service alive.
5. Sherlock’s Andrew Scott joins the ‘Whitehall Family’
Sherlock
6. Hello Aston Martin DB10
Wow. Sending petrol heads as much as Bond fans into a frenzy, the unveiling of the Aston Martin DB10 would have been a huge story alone, only adding to the allure of 007. Mendes introduced it as the only non-human cast member and boy does it look as though it’ll be stealing some scenes. Rumour has it we’ll get to see it thundering across terrain for a series of lengthy car chases in Rome.
7. The shoot is going global
Skyfall
8. We can expect ski chases
Oh, and the other big location will be Solden, Austria. And given Christoph Waltz’s Oberhauser is reportedly the son of the late Hans Oberhauser, a ski instructor who acted as a father figure to 007, expect it to play a chief role. It also means we might see Daniel Craig don a pair of skis for the first time...doubtlessly while in high speed pursuit and evading machine gun fire.
9. Dave Bautista will play henchman Mr Hinks
Guardians of the Galaxy
10. It's got a bigger budget than Skyfall
The action scenes in this film could be the biggest ever for a Bond production, with EON executive Barbara Broccoli telling the BBC that the film will have a bigger budget than Skyfall. We ex-Spectre big things...
(Images: Rex Features)
