Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of MGM Inc, today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012.
Confirmation of the project and its key components has been long awaited, with MGM sorting through bankruptcy after putting its filmmaking engines on ice for a full year as it sifted through a failed auction and attempt and ultimately successful pre-packaged bankruptcy, and Spyglass heads Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum taking over management of the studio. Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. The late-2012 date is a function of Craig's schedule, among other things; he'll need to finish shooting the David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and promote the late-July release of Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens With various entities in contention to distribute and finance the movie, there's still corporate uncertainty around the film but we shall see.