You might have noticed that our cover star for the current issue of the magazine is one Daniel Craig as James Bond for his latest outing, Spectre. There’s a new video blog online with returning director Sam Mendes talking about why he chose to come back to Bond and what we can expect from his follow-up to Skyfall.
According to Mendes, who at one point detached himself from the idea of making a second 007 film, he was lured back in by the story, which is driven by Craig’s Bond. It finds him on a mission to hunt down some very bad people, and we learn that with the new M (Ralph Fiennes), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) backing him, he’s on a journey that will once again explore an aspect of his past. Oh, and “it’s about whether or not to pursue the life he’s always pursued, whether he matters and is he going to continue or not. And you’re going to have to come to see the movie to find out whether he does.” Dun dun duuu... Wait! Isn’t Craig signed for one more film at least? We’re on to you, Mendes!
And this time out, it’s Bond who has the experience, which he’ll need to battle the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE, all while M struggles to keep the secret service alive in the face of political attacks.
For much more on the new film, check out the latest issue of Empire, out today, which boasts an exclusive, in-depth feature where we visit the sets and talk to the major players. With Lea Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear, Andrew Scott and Monica Bellucci in the cast, and a script from John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Spectre is set for a October 23 release in the UK and a November 6 date in the US.