At a press conference this morning, which happened to fall on the 50th anniversary of the day when Sean Connery was announced as the first actor play Ian Fleming’s iconic superspy James Bond on the silver screen in Dr. No, it was finally announced to the world the name of the next installment in the James Bond franchise: Skyfall.

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of the Bond movie series, made the announcement at today’s press conference in London, which you can watch all 29 minutes video of here below. You can also check out the film’s shiny logo (which looks like an ad for a brand of vodka) and a brief plot synopsis.

In attendance this morning in addition to the producers were: Daniel Craig, who will be playing the role of James Bond for the third time; Oscar-winners Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) as the still-unnamed villain of the movie, and Dame Judi Dench (the upcoming J. Edgar), back for her seventh go-around as Bond’s MI6 superior M; Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), who will be playing a field agent named Eve (and not Ms. Moneypenny as previously rumored); French model and actress Berenice Marlohe, Skyfall‘s “Bond girl,” playing “a glamorous, enigmatic character called Severin,” in the words of the actress; and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty), who previously directed Craig in the 2002 Depression-era gangster drama Road to Perdition. Not present at the conference were cast members Ben Whishaw (I’m Not There), Ralph Fiennes (the Harry Potter series), and Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich).

According to Mendes, the new film will take Bond on yet another globe-trotting adventure to Shanghai, Istanbul, and Scotland, but the director did not let on if the legendary secret agent would bed a different woman in each location in the name of Queen and country. The script will be written by franchise veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade along with John Logan (Gladiator). Peter Morgan, the writer of such acclaimed films of recent years as The Queen and Frost/Nixon, was also hired to for scripting duties in the early days of the project, but has apparently moved on. Wade and Purvis have collaborated on the last four Bond installments, two of them with Paul Haggis (Crash), as well as the Bond-spoofing Johnny English movies starring Rowan Atkinson.

When asked about the meaning of the title, producer Broccoli said, “It has emotional context which will be revealed in the film.” Roger Deakins (True Grit) will serve as cinematographer and Stuart Baird (Superman, Lethal Weapon) will be the editor on Skyfall.

Skyfall goes into production next Monday and will be released in the U.K. and Ireland on October 26, 2012 and in the U.S. on November 9, 2012.

Plot Synopsis

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Image

Video

[Source: Comic Book Movie]