23rd Bond Film Is Called 'Skyfall'

After years of speculation and much unrest for fans of the longstanding franchise, the 23rd Bond film is finally happening. As the first day of shooting kicked off, director Sam Mendes and part of the cast held a press conference to talk about it.

For the first time, we have an official title for the project, Slash Film reports: “Skyfall.”

Unlike previous installments, including the two with Daniel Craig as the swift and deadly 007 agent, this one is not based on any of Ian Flemming's novels.

Neither it is related in any way to the events of “Quantum of Solace,” the last film on 007 with Daniel Craig to come out.

“Today’s event confirmed an earlier rumor that the movie would be called Skyfall, a title that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli say 'has emotional context which will be revealed in the film',” Slash Film writes.

“Skyfall will tell a standalone story not based on any of Ian Fleming's novels and not related to the Quantum plot thread from the two previous installments,” the e-zine adds.

Apparently, the plot will test Bond's loyalty to M, as new details from her past start coming out to light – and they won't be something that 007 will appreciate.

The press conference brought even more surprises for Bond fans than just an official title: it also confirmed Javier Bardem as the villain and announced the names of the principal cast members, some of which have been mentioned in earlier, unconfirmed reports.

“Naomie Harris will play a field agent named Eve – not Moneypenny as previous reports suggested, unless there’s some sort of plot twist we don’t know about yet – while Bérénice Marlohe will play a 'glamorous, enigmatic character called Severin',” Slash Film writes.

“Dame Judi Dench and – obviously – Daniel Craig are set to reprise their parts from the previous films; Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, and Albert Finney will also appear in Skyfall, but the exact nature of their roles have not been revealed,” says the e-zine.

Director Mendes and the cast members present (including Craig and Bardem) also took the time to address other press reports about the film: the budget for it remains the same, there haven't been any cuts; there will be the same balance between action scenes and drama; and, last but not least, the film will still film in locations all over the world.

“Skyfall” is out in the UK on October 26, 2012, and in the US on November 9, 2012.