007 fans should mark November 9th 2012 in their diaries, as finally, James Bond will return, with Daniel Craig starring, and Sam Mendes directing.
As the two films of The Hobbit get ready for their year-long shoot, beginning next month, the other major franchise that's been held up by the financial problems of MGM is also finally firing back into life. We're talking James Bond, with the twenty-third film finally back on the schedules, having been indefinitely postponed last year.
The announcement was made via a new EON Productions press release, which reads thus:
"Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012.
Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan."
As rumoured, then, Sam Mendes will be directing, with there having been some uncertainty if he'd stay on board once the film his its delays.
Furthermore, there's solid speculation that Simon Russell Beale is being lined up to play Bond's nemesis in the new film. He's set to work with Sam Mendes in a National Theatre production of King Lear next year, and he's currently treading the boards in London in a production of Deathtrap. It's also Simon Russell Beale's birthday, we note. So, happy birthday to him.
It's unclear whether Rachel Weisz is still involved with the project, but we suspect we'll be finding that out in due course.
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