Sam Mendes will officially return to direct Bond 24. The 24th official James Bond movie and the fourth to star Daniel Craig as 007 will hit theatres on October 23, 2015 (UK) and November 6th, 2015 (US). An official Eon Productions press release has just confirmed the news. The planned release of course mirrors the hugely successful dates last year when Sam Mendes' Skyfall took an astonishing $1.1 billion worldwide, making it not only the biggest ever Bond movie of all time but also the highest-grossing film EVER to open in the UK. Not only that but Blu-ray & DVD sales of Skyfall, despite a general decline in the home video market, were the best-selling in the franchise history and Skyfall is generally considered to be among the top few 007 films in the series canon. No pressure with the follow-up then Sam... (incidentally, Mendes is the first Bond director to return for back-to-back movies since the Timothy Dalton era in the 1980s). Skyfall writer John Logan is currently writing the screenplay and it's safe to assume filming will take place next year, with the title/plot reveals likely to come late 2014. So lot's of time to speculate and play fantasy casting until then. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are quoted in the press release;
"Following the extraordinary success of SKYFALL, we're really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.
Mendes said;
"I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct Bond 24. I very much look forward to taking up the reins again, and to working with Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for a second time, said Mendes.