As the ending of Skyfall foretold, James Bond would be modernizing its roots by returning to the Universal Exports office with a Moneypenny on tap and a grumpy M. It’s not that surprising then that the next Bond film, scheduled for November 6, 2015 would bring back an old nemesis: Spectre, now the title of the next flick.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld was the head of the somewhat cheesy and over-obviously villainous organization, but most moviegoers will know his comedic twin, Dr. Evil, popularized by the Austin Power films. As has been the case since Casino Royale, this grittier Bond world would (hopefully) likely make it harder to satirize the bald, cat-petting SPECTRE boss (by not having him pet a cat all the time?). I always found it interesting they killed off Blofeld by helicopter lifting him in his wheelchair to drop him in a smoke stack as a way to signal the end of campiness and the old ways, only to have Roger Moore be the most campy-ius of Bonds. Anyways, the current rumor is Christoph Waltz will play Blofeld, who was introduced as playing a character simply named Oberhauser at Thursday morning’s announcement, which only adds fuel to the fire. He’s the perfect choice for Blofeld, as he’s played the spectacular villain and an old fashioned do-gooder in Oscar winning performances in such films as Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, and I’ve certainly enjoyed him in whatever film I’ve seen him in.
Besides the returning cast members of Daniel Craig as 007, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, and Rory Kinnear as Tanner, there’ll be other new, but for now unexplained faces in Spectre: For this installment’s Bond ladies, the always lovely Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded, Shoot ‘Em Up) joins the cast as Lucia Sciarra while Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) joins as Madeleine Swann. There’s no hints how important their roles will be, but as was the case in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall, the ladies haven’t been taking as much of a backseat anymore. Both Bellucci and Seydoux have imposing presences on the screen, for a multitude of reasons, and here’s hoping Spectre takes advantage of that.
Speaking of imposing, Dave Bautista, who had a breakout performance in this year’s stellar Guardians of the Galaxy, will star as Mr. Hinx, which if that’s not an evil henchman name, I don’t know what anything is anymore. The last human addition is Andrew Scott (Sherlock) as Denby, another character we have little information about.
The final cast member is the all-important new Bond ride, something for Bond and/or his enemies to blow to smithereens, which is normally the most consistent reason I cry in a Bond film. Like when they blew up the classic Aston Martin DB5 in Skyfall, or the Aston Martin DBS V12 doing 6 rolls in Casino Royale, or the 1933 Bentley demolished in a car chase in Moonraker, or the BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies remotely controlled to be driven off the top a parking garage, or when a hapless fool trips the Lotus Esprit’s self-destruct in For Your Eyes Only. Not like I’m keeping track or anything. Spectre’s vehicle is the brand spanking new Aston Martin DB10 which has been built specifically for the film and boy is it a doozy.
And here’s the entire announcement, if you’re interested. It says 4 hours, but the announcement lasts for just over 2.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
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