With a release date of November 6, 2015, it was only a matter of time before the next James Bond film- nicknamed Bond 24, for now- would go before cameras. There have been a handful of reports regarding the kinds of locations that are being scouted lately. We all ready know that Sam Mendes is back in the director’s chair. We know that John Logan (Skyfall), Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade were writing the script. We also know that Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, and Ben Whishaw would be back as 007, M, Moneypenny, and Q, respectively. Now, thanks to MI6-HQ, we know exactly when production will start.

On December 6th, principal photography will begin on Bond 24. As of now, nothing is known about the plot of the film, though it’s likely going to continue the trend of the Craig films where it will have direct ties to its predecessor. While many Bond films have operated independently of one another, Craig’s entries all seem to share a through-line, and with Logan working on not just 24, but also Bond 25, we should expect a story that’s going to build upon what’s come before it.

Casting is still underway, and one of the parts that has some Bond fans buzzing is a classic primary villain henchman character- on par with Jaws and Odd Job. It’s said that this henchman will be physically imposing, and square off against 007 during various sequences through the film.  

Mendes will convene with his cast in late November for a table-read of the shooting script.

Just a quick personal note, as excited as I am whenever a new Bond film is on the runway, I’m still scratching my head about some of the decisions made in Skyfall. I’ll never get why they rushed right to a “James, the grizzled old veteran” arc. It was only Craig’s third film. He was just introduced as an MI6 recruit two movies ago in Casino Royale. To jump right to a “Should he retire?” conundrum just felt like they jumped straight towards the downward slope of Craig’s iteration of the character. But we shall see how they reinvigorate the character for these next two films.

SOURCE: MI6-HQ