“Skyfall” will be the title of the 23rd James Bond pic, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced in London on Thursday.
Pic goes into production Monday and will begin its worldwide roll out in the U.K. and Ireland on Oct. 26, 2012, and in North America on Nov. 9, 2012.
In the pic, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her, according to a statement released by Eon Prods., MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Helmer Sam Mendes plus stars Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem (confirmed as the villain in the pic), Judi Dench and Bond girls Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe were at a packed presser at London’s Corinthia Hotel in Whitehall Place.
Additional cast, who weren’t present due to work commitments, include Albert Finney, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw.
Mendes wouldn’t reveal much about the plot — in fact everyone present was tight-lipped about details — but he assured journos that the film would contain “a lot of action.”
He said the pic will lense in Whitehall in London, Pinewood Studios, China, Istanbul, Turkey and Scotland.
Wilson confirmed that the budget would remain in the same range as “Quantum of Solace,” which sat at $230 million, and despite MGM’s economic turmoil over the past year, project was not affected by budget cuts.
“We haven’t had to change anything in the script to get what we want,” said Wilson. “In fact we keep on adding things. We’re not feeling that we’ve had to sacrifice for this film.”
Screenplay was penned by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.
The announcement was made in London 50 years to the day since Sean Connery was announced as Bond for “Dr. No.”
The director of photography will be Roger Deakins, who previously shot “Jarhead” and “Revolutionary Road” for Mendes.
Production designer is Dennis Gassner, who designed “Quantum of Solace” and worked with Mendes on “Road to Perdition” and “Jarhead.”
