One of the big questions coming out of MGM’s financial restructuring has been when the next installment of the long running James Bond franchise, put on hold last April, will get back into development. The studio answered that question today with the announcement that Bond 23 will be going forward and should be filming by the end of the year for a November 9, 2012 release.
As expected Daniel Craig will be back for this next installment, his third, as the British secret agent. Sam Mendes, who was attached to the film before it’s hiatus last spring, is still set to direct. The script, which is said to pick up soon after the end of the last Bond film Quantum Of Solace, will be written by franchise mainstays Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and John Logan. Logan replaces writer Peter Morgan who moved on to other projects during the hiatus.
What is up in the air is who exactly will distribute the new film.Eon Productions, the company that produces the Bond films, have a rare autonomy as to what they can do with the property. If some reason MGM can’t do it, expect Sony, who distributed Quantum Of Solace, to put up a fight for the right to. Paramount could also be a strong contender given their relationship with Spyglass Entertainment, a key figure in MGM’s financial rescue and the producers of Paramount’s successful Star Trek reboot.
Regardless of who gets us the film though, this some great news for Bond fans.
