It’s been on and off more times than **Bond **has knocked back his trademark martini cocktail, but it finally looks like things are sliding into place for the 23rd instalment of the 007 franchise, with MGM and the EON bods announcing that the new film will arrive on November 9, 2012.
For those looking to mark the various elements off their checklist, Daniel Craig will return as Bond and Sam Mendes is still attached to call the shots.
The one intriguing wrinkle is a mention of the script, which according to the Heat Vision blog has been written by regular contributors Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, along with John Logan (it would seem Peter Morgan is no longer involved).
Logan’s worked on the likes of Gladiator, The Aviator, **The Last Samurai **and, more recently, Rango and Hugo Cabret, though some on Team Empire (okay, one) have yet to forgive him for Star Trek: Nemesis. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to Her Majesty’s finest secret agent.
There is no word on other elements yet, though given that he’s talked about the project, it’s a fair bet that David Arnold will be returning to compose the music. And unless Mendes is headed in a radical new direction with the character, Judi Dench will probably turn up as M.
MGM is now fielding offers from various studios to distribute the film, with Casino Royale/Quantum of Solace home base Sony and Paramount said to be the big contenders.
Now maybe we can all put the will it/won’t it return speculation behind us and start endless speculation about what the new movie will bring…