Nobody does it better…

THE BUZZ: After much time spent in limbo, the 23rd installment of the James Bond movie franchise has been given an official title and American release date. Fitting that it would come the same week as the release of Goldeneye: Reloaded for Xbox 360 and PS3, the new Bond movie is titled ‘Skyfall’ and will once again star Daniel Craig.

At the London press conference this morning, director Sam Mendes and producer Michael G. Wilson were both on hand to answer questions, but only revealed what they wished to at this time. One tidbit they let loose with though was they were aiming for a November 7th, 2012, release here in the States (although it may actually be November 9th since that’s a Friday), and likely two weeks earlier in England (it is where Bond is from after all). Wilson also scoffed at rumors that were circulating that they were cutting the budget, saying they would be “in the same budget range as the last film”, which was $230 million.

In terms of plot, the only bit of information that was revealed was that a ghost from M’s past will come back to haunt her, attack MI6 directly, and that Bond must quell this threat to national security and that he would likely travel to at least Istanbul and China to do that. Producer Barbara Broccoli, who basically inherited the franchise from her world renowned father and producer of many of the original Bond films, Albert Broccoli, also mentioned that ‘Skyfall’ would be a stand alone movie and not tie-in as much to the first two Daniel Craig films. She also mentioned she wasn’t thrilled with the title and that she would like to see Craig do a fourth Bond film after ‘Skyfall’ if he was up to it.

The biggest surprise to come from the event though may be the reveal of relatively unknown French actress Berenice Marlohe as the newest Bond girl. Along with this Javier Bardem was confirmed as the main villain, but what his name or connection to Bond, M, and MI6 is, is still unknown at this time. Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, and Naomie Harris were also confirmed to have roles in the film.

EGM’S TAKE: I cannot wait to see this new Bond movie and what it is all about. It will also be interesting to see if there is a corresponding game to go along with it. As for Barbara Broccoli wanting Craig to do a fourth Bond film, I think we should worry about getting his third in the can first. And as for the new Bond girl, well, she at least has the figure for it, that’s for sure.

What do you folks think? Are you excited for a new James Bond movie? Are you fans of the James Bond films and which is your favorite? Who is your favorite actor to have played Bond? Where does Daniel Craig stand on the Bond actor list? Who is your favorite Bond girl?