Move over Skywalker and co, the O-double is back in the house. 007’s latest outing, Spectre, has a new featurette that sheds some light on the role the still-fairly-mysterious Bond ladies will play in its storyline and, potentially, the emotional life of Daniel Craig’s agent. Click below to watch it.
The featurette - or at least the press release that came with it - offers one juicy morsel that’s been swirling in the Bond ether for a while, but hadn't been officially confirmed. Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann is the daughter of that old Quantum-er, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen). Which puts all that “kite dancing in a hurricane” crypticness in the teaser trailer into an intriguing new context.
We also learn that Monica Bellucci’s Lucia is "an Italian widow with secrets”. Director Sam Mendes, as glowing as you’d expect of his lead actresses, says: “The two women who Bond hooks up with, both have great mystery, they both have depths and for that you need fantastic actresses.”
If the idea of a Bond “hook up” suggests that Q might have installed Tinder on his phone, rest assured that Spectre will feature all the usual romantic shenanigans in a variety of glamorous global locations that take in Mexico, Morocco, the Tyrol and Rome.
So what do we really know about the plot so far? Here’s the official synopsis: “A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.”
With Mendes back directing a script that has been written by John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Spectre sees Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris, as M, Q and Moneypenny respectively, with new recruits Waltz as the enigmatic Oberhauser, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, Stephanie Sigman as Estrella and Andrew Scott as Denbigh. It’ll hit UK screens – include the big IMAX ones – on October 23 before heading across the pond and elsewhere on November 6. Head here for the full trailer. And head here for Empire's full and always updated briefing on all things **Spectre.