SPECTRE Blu-ray Retailer Exclusives

As seems to be the norm these days (infuriatingly, for consumers), SPECTRE hit Blu-ray today in North America in several different retailer exclusive configurations. This guide is not intended as an endorsement of this frustrating practice, but more of a consumer alert, a buyer beware, so you can make sure you choose the version that's best for you. First, there's the standard Blu-ray edition available from most retailers (including Amazon). The special features are annoyingly scant, but do include the excellent 20-minute featurette "SPECTRE: Bond's Biggest Opening Sequence," covering the Mexico City shoot of the movie's breathtaking pre-credits sequence and the film's premiere. This is the best James Bond Blu-ray special feature since the excellent Cloverland documentaries on the Casino Royale Special Edition. Besides that, all there is in the way of value-added material are the video blogs that ran on 007.com throughout production (all short EPK pieces), three trailers, and a rather disappointing gallery consisting solely of publicity stills and no production artwork or advertising campaign material.

Target offers their own exclusive edition that includes a bonus DVD (that's right, standard def) containing three additional special features totally over 20 minutes (a nice addition given the dearth of extras on the regular disc). "From Title Song to Title Sequence" (06:27) is a featurette about the making of the title sequence (which Mendes aptly describes as "a whole other film, a piece of art") and the song (and also the music video, complete with BTS footage), including interviews with title designer Daniel Kleinman, singer Sam Smith and director Sam Mendes (who praises Smith's controversial falsetto). "The Shadow of SPECTRE" (10:15) features writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade discussing SPECTRE's history within the film series, past films in general, and Ian Fleming. It's basically a recap of things fans will already know. There's also a little bit at the end addressing how they tackled the villainous organization in the new movie. (Purvis: "Everyone was aware that if we're going to do SPECTRE, you've got to make it very different to how it was.") Finally, there's the music video for Sam Smith's somewhat lackluster theme song "Writing's On the Wall" (04:45). The video itself is quite good, and certainly should have been included on the standard Blu-ray.

Finally, Best Buy is offering their own exclusive edition in an attractive steelbook design featuring the octopus/bullet hole teaser artwork (pictured). The features are the same as the regular version. So if you value bonus material (like I do), you should opt for the Target disc to get maximum extras. If you value aesthetics and packaging, the Best Buy one might be right for you. And if you don't really care and just want the movie itself in an admittedly stunning HD transfer, just go for the regular version.

Watch Omega's SPECTRE Commercial

Yet another promotional partner is now giving SPECTRE terrific free advertising with an Omega watch ad that's basically a SPECTRE TV spot with a few beauty shots of the new Omega Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition watch thrown in. (And it's a very nice looking watch!)

SPECTRE Land Rover Commercial

Here's another SPECTRE-inspired promotional partner commercial. Unlike the ones we've already seen for Sony smartphones (featuring Naomie Harris as Moneypenny) and Belvedere Vodka, or the unmissable Heineken spot with Daniel Craig, this Land Rover commercial doesn't feature any new concepts or exclusive footage. It's just shots from the Alpine chase scene in the movie re-cut to put the focus on the Land Rovers. I suppose there may be a few extra shots in this that didn't make the final film, and of course the material is edited differently than in the movie, but more or less this spot is just film clips. It's still cool, though, and still worth posting and watching!

The Final SPECTRE Trailer is Here!

Today Sony released the final trailer for SPECTRE, which opens in just a little over a month in North America—and even sooner in the UK. I love it. It's short, but this might be my favorite one yet. Or the combination of that great, action-free first teaser with this one which mixes the menace of that teaser with the spectacle of the most recent trailer. I particularly love that this trailer highlights the combination of hot and cold locations. That mixture seems to be a key element of many of my favorite Bond movies. It hasn't occurred to me before, but SPECTRE's hot and cold partly mirror The Living Daylights' hot and cold locations—Morocco and Austria. And Daylights is one of my favorites. I can't wait for it to be November!

SPECTRE Soundtrack Features Instrumental Version of Writing's On the Wall

For decades the theme song was the centerpiece of a new James Bond soundtrack album. Then when Daniel Craig took over the role, that tradition ended. Chris Cornell's powerful theme song "You Know My Name" (still the best of the Craig era) was not included on the Casino Royale soundtrack album despite its melody forming the backbone of David Arnold's score. (The Sony Classical soundtrack album even bore the warning, "This album does not contain a Chris Cornell recording.") Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" did appear on the Quantum of Solace album, but at the end instead of the beginning. (Although that melody, which Arnold had nothing to do with, didn't recur throughout his score.) The album was released on Keys' label, the Sony-owned J Records. And then Adele's superb, Oscar-winning "Skyfall" theme was left off of Thomas Newman's score album for that film. (Again on Sony Classical, and again with a dire warning about the lack of a recording "by the artist Adele.") With the SPECTRE soundtrack, we'll get something altogether different. The album, on the Decca label, will include Sam Smith's main theme "Writing's On the Wall..." but in an instrumental version. Decca is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, as is Smith's label, Capitol. Instrumental versions of both "Skyfall" and "Another Way to Die" were released, but as B-sides on the singles, not on the score albums. It will be interesting to see if the inclusion of the instrumental on the Newman album is an indication that Newman will work it into his score. At any rate, a lot of Bond fans will probably find the omission of the vocals makes for a more satisfying listening experience, as the primary complaint about the song has been with Smith's falsetto-heavy vocals and not the rather traditional Bondian orchestration. SPECTRE: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman, including the instrumental of Sam Smith's "Writing's On the Wall," is due out physically on November 13, a week after the film's U.S. release. A digital release, still unannounced, is expected a week or two earlier. The CD can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

Another SPECTRE TV Spot

Another new SPECTRE TV spot was released yesterday. Check it out:

The SPECTRE Title Song by Sam Smith is Here! Listen Now!

Today Sam Smith released "The Writing's On the Wall," his theme song for the latest James Bond movie, SPECTRE. Hm. It will take me a few more listens to form a real opinion. But on first listen, it doesn't strike me as a disaster, like Madonna's "Die Another Day," nor brilliant, like Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale. It certainly sounds Bondian, and that's a good thing anyway. It's lush and epic, which is nice, but still feels like it's lacking something. I'm not really familiar with Smith as an artist, but I'm not crazy about his aggressive falsetto. Then again, I wasn't crazy about Adele's "Skyfall" the first time I heard it, and I came to love that song. So we'll have to see. (Danny Kleinman's visuals can do wonders for a Bond song, too.) Anyway, have a listen! It should be available for purchase digitally later today, and the CD single is available for pre-order on Amazon, but not due out for another month. The SPECTRE soundtrack, featuring Thomas Newman's second Bond score, is also available for pre-order, and due out November 13, a whole week after the film hits cinemas.

Moneypenny Hawks Smartphones

Every time a new James Bond movie comes out, some people invariably begin complaining about product placement. Not me! I understand that product placement is a crucial part of the financial model that funds big budget movies, and has been for quite some time, and I'm fully cognizant of the fact that it's been an equally big part of the Bond series specifically for so long that it simply feels like part of the formula I love. I can't imagine a Bond film without product placement. Furthermore, I think it's a kind of appropriate extension of Ian Fleming's own penchant for naming brands he liked in his novels. And one more thing. I love seeing James Bond-inspired commercials. (Who can forget John Cleese's classic Schweppes spot from Licence To Kill? Or the time Christina Hendricks was a Bond Girl opposite Pierce Brosnan... in a Visa commercial from Tomorrow Never Dies?) Well, now the commercials tying in to SPECTRE have started airing! This one (via Dark Horizons), featuring Miss Moneypenny (Namoie Harris) shilling for Sony products like digital cameras and smartphones, is particularly notable because it's directed by seven-time 007 title designer Daniel Kleinman. It's also just pretty cool!



And this one, for Belvedere Vodka (via MI6), features SPECTRE Bond Girl Stephanie Sigman. The Rube Goldberg bartending is amusing, but seems more appropriate to a Jean-Pierre Juenet movie than a James Bond film.

Another New SPECTRE Poster!

Hot on the heels of last week's exciting new SPECTRE poster showcasing Daniel Craig in a white dinner jacket comes another one! This poster and two new banners (below) were unveiled today on 007.com. The skeleton costume from the Mexico City-set Day of the Dead sequence continues to be a focal point in the campaign, though I find it's somewhat weirdly integrated with the foreground images on the posters. This time, Craig is joined by Léa Seydoux (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), looking stunning in her silver dress, which is rapidly becoming iconic. Craig wears a suit this time. (He in his white jacket was previously paired with Seydoux on a theatrical standee, bottom) I hope we're building to a final 1-sheet with Craig in his white dinner jacket flanked by Seydoux and Monica Bellucci!

New SPECTRE TV Spot

There's a cool new SPECTRE TV spot out today, with quite a bit of new footage and dialogue. Check it out:

Sam Smith to Perform SPECTRE Theme Song

British singer Sam Smith will perform the theme song for the 24th James Bond movie, SPECTRE, it was announced today on the official 007 website. The news comes on the heels of months' worth of rumors and speculation that Smith would be the one belting out a SPECTRE song come November. Then, in recent months, the tantalizing spectre of Radiohead singing the song somehow worked its way onto the Internet, cruelly taunting us with the prospect of something amazing. But it wasn't to be. Oh well. Sometimes lesser artists end up recording some of the best Bond songs, so there's certainly hope for Smith's theme. While you would think that the word "spectre" would have been fairly easy to build a song around (unlike "Octopussy" or even "Quantum of Solace"), that sadly won't be the case, and for the third time in Daniel Craig's Bond career, the title of the theme song won't be the title of the film. Smith's song, co-written with Grammy-winning lyricist and frequent collaborator Jimmy Napes, will be entitled "Writing's On the Wall," which certainly sounds suitably Bondian. The single will debut on September 25 (though if history is anything to go by it will leak earlier), at which time it will be available to purchase digitally. Unlike any other Craig-era theme, it's possible that "Writing's On the Wall" will actually be included on the movie's soundtrack, as was always the case before for Bond movies. Decca Records will release returning Skyfall composer Thomas Newman's (Skyfall) score, and they are part of Universal Music Group... which is also home to Smith.

SPECTRE opens November 6.

New SPECTRE Poster Unveiled

A brand new SPECTRE poster was unveiled today on 007.com. The site does not indicate that it's a final 1-sheet, so I think we can assume it's another Advance. I'm definitely a fan. As I said when the last trailer was released, I love seeing Daniel Craig in a white dinner jacket, evoking the likes of Goldfinger and Octopussy. Since Craig took over (and as signaled by the Casino Royale 1-sheet featuring the superspy with his tie undone, gun at his side), the marketing of the films has seemed determined to avoid the classic Bondian poses of the past such as Brosnan, Moore and Connery used to strike, with Walther across their chest or held pointing upwards, next to their face. SPECTRE has been toying with classic imagery (the previous teaser poster evoked Moore's Live and Let Die publicity shot, with black turtleneck and brown leather holster), and this is the closest we've gotten yet from a Craig poster. Part of me wishes they'd go all the way, and let him hold his gun pointing up, in the more, ah, virile pose of the past... and ideally flank him with beautiful Bond women. (At least one!) But perhaps that's exactly what they're building towards for the final 1-sheet! It's also interesting to note that this campaign continues to recall Live and Let Die specifically, which Craig and director Sam Mendes have both cited at times as their favorite Bond movie. (I believe Craig has also said it was his first.) The skeleton figure in the background, though donning a Mexican Day of the Dead mask rather than a Caribbean voodoo one, certainly stirs memories of the late, great Geoffrey Holder as iconic henchman Baron Samedi. Will SPECTRE itself have any Live and Let Die connections? The campaign has also so far summoned the spirits of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (with its initial bullet-shattered glass imagery) and, of course, Goldfinger, with this white dinner jacket and red carnation. (It's a big year for Goldfinger and classic Bond homages on posters. Spy also relied on one for a character poster showcasing Melissa McCarthy, while referencing Skyfall and the last SPECTRE advance in others, while American Ultra paid tribute to Octopussy.)

UPDATE: I hadn't even looked at the credits block at first, but Facebook users have pointed out one particularly notable credit: Daniel Craig now has what Sean Connery always wanted and Cubby and Harry refused to give him, a co-producer credit. Also interesting is that unlike the writers who performed polishes on the last couple of movies, Jez Butterworth ends up with a script credit in addition to John Logan and Bond perennials Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Interesting!

SPECTRE opens November 6 in the U.S. Just two more months to go!

DK Previews Bond by Design: The Art of the James Bond Films

We're coming up on Autumn of a James Bond movie release year... which means collectors can look forward to plenty of new books about 007 timed to tie in with the film's release! DK Publishing has posted a preview of one of the most anticipated ones, their eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2012's beautiful, slipcased art book James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters (which will be getting a new paperback edition). The new book, Bond by Design: The Art of the James Bond Films, showcases concept art and storyboards from EON Productions' 24 James Bond films, right up through SPECTRE. Here's the official blurb from the publisher: "Featuring the work of legendary Bond film designers such as Ken Adam, Peter Lamont, and Syd Cain, Bond by Design brings the James Bond art department's story right up to date with behind-the-scenes artwork from the latest film, SPECTRE. With two exclusive prints and authoritative text by EON's own archivist, Meg Simmonds, Bond by Design provides unique, spectacular, and fascinating insights into this hugely successful film franchise." Retailing for $50.00, the 320-page, large-format hardcover will be published on October 6, and is available for pre-order now at a substantial discount on Amazon. Here are some gorgeous sample pages:

Video: The Bond Women of SPECTRE

MGM and Sony have released a new SPECTRE video blog, this one focusing on "The Bond Women of SPECTRE." And by "women of SPECTRE," they don't mean Helga Brandt and Fiona Volpe, or even Madam Spectra (obscure reference); they mean Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, the female stars of the 24th James Bond movie. And by "Bond Women," they mean what used to be called "Bond Girls," appropriately updated for the 21st Century.

Behind the Scenes Video Reveals SPECTRE's Mexico City Shoot

EON, MGM and Sony have posted a new video blog about filming SPECTRE, this time on location in Mexico City. I've been avoiding pretty much all news items and press photos about SPECTRE, because I want to go in knowing much less than I did about Skyfall, but I figure that anything put out officially is okay. But since I know some people are even more spoiler-conscious than I am about this movie, I'll warn that while the video below doesn't give away anything about the actual on-screen action of this scene, it does reveal what part of the movie the Mexico City action will happen in, and shows plenty of the background activity. If you don't even want to know that much, now is the time to avert your eyes.



This looks pretty incredible! "I wanted the audience to be dropped right into the middle of a very, very specific, very heady, rich environment. It’s the Day of the Dead, everywhere you look there’s colour and detail and life," says director Sam Mendes. I heartily approve! The Day of the Dead celebration is a perfect backdrop for some good James Bond action, reminiscent of Thunderball's Junkanoo, Live and Let Die's New Orleans funerals, and Moonraker's Carnival. It looks like a visually spectacular backdrop for whatever action Mendes and his crew have lined up to unfold there. And it also makes perfect sense as a setting for 007's first ever trip to Mexico as Mexico. While Licence to Kill was filmed there, the action took place in fictional Isthmus City.

New SPECTRE TV Spot

A TV spot for SPECTRE airing during the NBA finals tonight revealed copious new footage after beginning in a familiar way for anyone who's seen the teaser trailer. And, man, does it look cool! The teaser was notable (and effective!) for not showing any action at all. The second half of this spot is pretty much all action, and it's fun to see how it seems to tie in with the non-action bits we were already treated to. For example, it looks as if James Bond doesn't get out of that mysterious meeting he seems to have infiltrated all that easily. There's even a hint that, just possibly, 007's Aston Martin DB10 might have a gadget! I can't tell if that fire behind it is because the road's on fire, or because it has some sort of rear-mounted flame thrower. Considering Q is still stuck at a computer monitor dealing with a system shutdown (again?!), perhaps it's not a gadget after all. Making up for a relative lack of romantic conquests in his films compared to other Bond actors, Daniel Craig gets close to both Bond women (Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci) in this trailer... and even finds an entirely new way to deliver his immortal line of introduction, "Bond... James Bond!" Hopefully this TV spot portends a longer trailer in the very near future. We just saw a second Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation trailer, and the new Man From U.N.C.L.E. trailer is supposed to drop tomorrow, so we need another Bond one to match!

The SPECTRE Teaser Trailer is Here!

Well, here's the one we've all been waiting for! Here's the one that Paramount was clearly trying to beat to the punch when they released the Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation trailer last weekend. And you know what? It turns out the two trailers could not be more different.

Check it out:

Sure, both are introducing audiences to a shadowy criminal organization for their respective heroes to go up against, but they do it in such different ways. (And I love both.) Rogue Nation is all phenomenal, over-the-top action and stunts, and says the name "the Syndicate" again and again and again. (To my unending delight each time.) The SPECTRE teaser, on the other hand, is all subtlety, nuance and menace, and no character ever mentions "SPECTRE" by name. Instead we glimpse a ring with the familiar octopus logo first seen in From Russia With Love. We're treated to certain iconography associated with the Special Executive fr Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion in its classic Sixties incarnation: a "board meeting" of mysterious figures gathered around a wooden table in a luxurious, Old World setting, a shadow, silhouetted person presiding. Everything but a white cat. (Had I cut a trailer reintroducing SPECTRE, it would have just been a close-up of a white cat being stroked by the hands of an unseen villain. But then again, we're still not sure if Blofeld is even in this movie, and if he's not... then I guess there wouldn't be a cat, either.) I love the slow build. I love the beautiful cinematography, courtesy of Hoyte van Hoytema (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). I love that shot of Bond on the boat, tiny and alone in the vastness of that Austrian lake. And I love the use of the Bond Theme played on... is it a cimbalom? A xylophone? Whatever it is, it's stark and effective, like this teaser. And of course I love the final reveal of the logo, and all the franchise history packed into that logo: the octopus logo, Tracy... and a friend pointed out to me that that even looks like the pointed ears of a cat the way the glass is broken around the bullet hole. It's brilliant.

I'm also surprised at how much this teaser seems to reveal in its relatively brief minute and forty-two seconds. Although they've played coy with his actual character since the initial press conference, here they certainly seem to be hinting that Christoph Waltz is playing Blofeld. Or maybe it's all a clever misdirect. But that seems to be his silhouette we see in shadow, and his collar even seems carefully arranged to recall the silhouette of a Nehru jacket! Then there's all that about Bond's childhood. It feels like a very direct continuation of Skyfall (right down to Moneypenny's name-check in the opening moments of the teaser), and it looks like SPECTRE will continue to explore 007's formative years. Freeze on that document, and you'll find that it's a transfer of guardianship from James' Aunt Charmian (a character first mentioned in Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, and fleshed out by Charlie Higson in his Young Bond novels) to Hannes Oberhauser, James' childhood ski instructor and a surrogate father figure introduced in Fleming's "Octopussy" and fleshed out in Higson's By Royal Command. Finally, there's the return of Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), the villain from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace whose escape has bothered many Bond fans. Judging from his ragged, unkempt appearance, Mr. White has come down in the world since we last saw him, but he remains as enigmatic as ever. (His advice to Craig's Bond in the teaser hardly seems helpful.) Christensen's involvement in SPECTRE had been rumored, but wasn't officially announced at the press conference last December that revealed other key cast members. Presumably his appearance indicates a connection between the villainous organizations Quantum and SPECTRE, as many fans have hoped for.

What surprises me most, though, is the complete lack of action! Has there ever been a James Bond teaser before that showed actual footage from the film, but no stunts? I can't recall one off the top of my head. But it works! In fact, it works so damn well! I don't think they could have done a trailer like this in the Brosnan era. I think it's specific to Daniel Craig's tenure as 007 that they can get away with a James Bond trailer based entirely on character and drama and suspense rather than bombastic action. Of course we know the action will be in the movie, but I like the confidence that it's not needed to sell the film. Because it's really not in this day and age. As I said up front, the SPECTRE trailer and the Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation trailer could not be more different in how they introduce audiences to their respective revived villainous organizations. But both work in their own right, and both seem very true to the current conception of their respective series. I can't wait for both of these movies! Between them and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., it looks like spy fans are in for one fantastic year.

SPECTRE opens November 6 worldwide.

NOTE: Please speculate all you like in the comments; after all, this teaser trailer leaves us with plenty to speculate about! But, since the script for this movie was leaked in last year's Sony hack, it's necessary for me to implore readers to refrain from making comments with actual spoilers in them, as many fans (myself included) are still trying to go into this movie knowing only what EON and the studios want us to know. Thank you!

New SPECTRE Poster Unveiled

Today the official James Bond website unveiled four versions of a new advance poster for the 24th official 007 movie, SPECTRE. The stark image shows Daniel Craig (sporting a much more Bondian haircut than he did in Skyfall) dressed for action in a dark mock turtleneck and shoulder holster. It instantly conveys a plethora of screen spy history--not only a classic shot of Roger Moore in a similar pose for Live and Let Die, but also other agents with similar styles, from Illya Kuryakin to Number 6 to Sterling Archer. The four versions released online include a black and white US advance (above), a color US advance, a black and white UK quad, and a color UK quad (below). Personally, I rather like it... though my girlfriend scoffed that it made Bond look like Putin. It's unclear if both the color and monochrome (save for Craig's blue eyes) versions will make it into cinemas, or if one is online only. SPECTRE opens November 6 worldwide.

First Look at 007 in Action in SPECTRE

What an exciting week for spy fans! Hot on the heels of the awesome Man From U.N.C.L.E. trailer comes our first look at Daniel Craig in action as James Bond in Sam Mendes' SPECTRE, courtesy of 007.com. The first official still of Craig in the 24th official 007 movie shows the actor in winter gear clutching a pistol (not a Walther PPK) in a snowy Alpine setting with snowmobiles and off-road vehicles in the background. The shot is reminiscent of the famous still of George Lazenby in the Alps with a Sterling submachine gun, and the background elements seem the perfect ingredients for a classic James Bond action sequence—the creation of which is confirmed in the first official behind the scenes video from the set! I'm particularly excited to see Craig in the snow, because cold weather setpieces tend to be among my favorite in the Bond canon, but we haven't had a great one since The Living Daylights back in 1987. (I'm sorry, but the lackluster ski sequence in The World Is Not Enough just didn't cut it for me.) That's more than 25 years—or more than half the duration of the series! So it's about time for another great winter setpiece in a Bond flick. Check out the video below for a spoiler-free hint of how things will go down in this Austrian sequence. Now with Bond and U.N.C.L.E. videos this week, all we need is for Paramount to offer a first look at the next Mission: Impossible!


NOTE: While the plot of SPECTRE was leaked in the Sony hack, not all Bond fans want to know what's going to happen. So please be courteous and refrain from posting SPECTRE spoilers in the comments section.

James Bond Will Return in... SPECTRE!!!

EON Productions, MGM and Sony announced this morning that the next James Bond movie, once again starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007, will be called SPECTRE! Obviously that title holds enormous ramifications for the film's plot and the series. Thanks mainly to legal issues, now resolved, the eponymous villainous organization hasn't officially been heard from since Diamonds Are Forever back in 1971.

Joining Craig will be returning cast members Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner. This time around they'll be joined by Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Monica Belucci (Agents secrets) as Lucia Sciarra, David Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) as the unfortunately named henchman Mr. Hinx, Léa Seydoux (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) as Madeleine Swann, and Andrew Scott (Sherlock) as Denbigh, who director Sam Mendes described as "a new addition to the Whitehall family." The producers remained enigmatically cagey about exactly what the rest of those roles entail, and Waltz's character name, perhaps tellingly, was not revealed. The stunning Belucci was first rumored as a Bond Girl way back in 1997 for Tomorrow Never Dies, when Pierce Brosnan strongly advocated her for the role of Paris Carver.

Perhaps more anticipated than any human actor in the film, the new Bond car was also revealed. And it's nearly as stunning as Belucci. It's the all-new Aston Martin DB10, which Mendes claimed the Bond team had designed together with the car company.

As previously reported, Skyfall's Mendes will once again direct, this time joined behind the camera by editor Lee Smith (X-Men: First Class, Inception) and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, HER, Interstellar) stepping in for Roger Deakins. Van Hoytema previously indicated that while Deakins shot Skyfall on digital, he will shoot on film. Thomas Newman will return to score once again, as will production designer Dennis Gassner, 2nd unit director Alexander Witt, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, visual effects supervisor Steve Begg, costume designer Jany Temime (no word yet about Tom Ford, but I would assume he'll be providing Craig's suits again) and stunt coordinator Gary Powell. The twenty-fourth official James Bond movie begins its seven month shoot on Monday, and opens worldwide on November 6, 2015. (It was previously slated to open in the UK two weeks prior.) Less than a year to wait! You can see more pictures from the event at 007.com and watch the video of the press conference below: