SPECTRE: James Bond’s Next Film Finally has a Name – Update

My criminal group has a first name, it’s S-P-E-C-T-R-E.

Update: Well here’s an extra bit of unconfirmed, exciting news. According to Danish website Euroman (via Google Translate), Jesper Christensen is set to reprise his role as Mr. White.

“I look forward to working with Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig,” said Christensen to Euroman. “It is a truly exciting script and a very capable team. So it’ll be fun.”

Mr. White appeared in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, and the triggerman was an instrument of execution working for the organization known as Quantum (hence the name of the latter film). Both of these films were made when the rights to SPECTRE were not under MGM control, but that long-running kerfuffle has since been settled.

If the Christensen casting is true, then the tie-in could be that Quantum has re-named itself SPECTRE, and that’s how the criminal organization is brought back into the fold.

We’re sticking with unconfirmed for now because Christensen was not announced as part of the cast, nor is he credited on the project on IMDb. Hopefully some clarity comes to the casting soon!

Original Story: The Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion is back, as the next James Bond flick’s title is officially official.

SPECTRE is the 24th film in the Bond saga, and the major players in the cast are all confirmed. Daniel Craig is returning as Bond, as are Ralph Fiennes as M and Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, and they’re joined by several actors and actresses you’ll recognize from your forays into action and/or sci-fi.

Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglorious Basterds) will play Oberhauser (no mention of the villain Blofeld just yet), while Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) appears as Mr. Hinx, presumably a more physical character out to break Bond in half. Monica Bellucci (The Matrix trilogy), Léa Seydoux (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and Andrew Scott (BBC’s Sherlock) are all confirmed as well. Ben Whishaw is returning as Q, too.

Sam Mendes (Skyfall, Jarhead) is returning as director.

The new Bond car was also confirmed, and 007 will be zipping about in an Aston Martin DB10, a car “…developed specifically for the film and built in-house by the brand’s design and engineering teams.”

Production on SPECTRE begins tomorrow, and shooting locations include Pinewood Studios in London, Mexico City, Rome, Tangier & Erfoud in Morocco, and Sölden, Obertilliach, and Lake Altaussee in Austria.

For those new to the 007 franchise, SPECTRE is the original, international criminal organization that opposes Bond at every turn. When Bond as we know him debuted on the silver screen in 1962’s Dr. No, SPECTRE was there to fight. The trend continued throughout the 60’s and 70’s, as SPECTRE appeared in From Russia with Love, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and others.

Sources: James Bond 007 (Facebook) | IMDb