A scene from the James Bond movie Casino Royale.
The overall awesomeness of Skyfall got me emotionally invested in the future of the Bond franchise to a degree I hadn't felt since the Dalton days. So I was excited to hear the details revealed in last night's announcement about the next film in the franchise, which we now know to be called Spectre.
Let's start with that title. As even the most casual Bond fan is aware, SPECTRE was a criminal organisation headed by Bond's only really recurring villain, Blofeld, who was played by a variety of actors across several films.
Blofeld and SPECTRE are aspects of the Bond franchise that it has been afraid to go near for almost three decades. Analogues of both played large roles in the Austin Powers franchise, which as Daniel Craig recently pointed out, created tonal challenges for the Bond films.
A scene from the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.
So it's exciting simply on a nostalgic level that they are returning to such a classic element of the earlier films, and I am relishing the suggestion it may indeed mean the return of Blofeld.
As widely rumoured, Christoph Waltz was announced as the main guy, and the fact that he is referred to as a character named 'Oberhauser' won't stop speculation that he is indeed playing Blofeld.
A scene from the James Bond movie Casino Royale.
Waltz is a fine actor, but there's something a little obvious about him playing yet another villain. That obviousness perhaps extends to the announcement of one Andrew Scott as also being in the cast. Scott's best known for playing Sherlock Holmes' nemesis Moriarty in the BBC Sherlock series, and as great an actor as he is, it'll be disappointing if he's simply playing another Machiavellian bad guy here. Even if he isn't, his casting can't help but conjure up the notion.
A scene from the James Bond movie Casino Royale.
The presence of Monica Belluci and Lea Seydoux lends the film some of the continental class that Bond girls used to project in the pre-Christmas Jones days, these are two of the best actresses the franchise has employed in years.
The most reassuring aspect of the announcement however was the confirmation that Sam Mendes is returning as director.
A scene from the James Bond movie Skyfall.
As artistically talented a helmer as the franchise has ever seen, Mendes show in Skyfall that there are new places for a Bond film to go in the modern world.
* Agree? Disagree? Excited for Spectre? Comment below!
