Bond 23 FINALLY Back on Track?

It seems like it’s been a lot longer than two years since Quantum of Solace hit theaters, but since that film was released Bond studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had the financial trouble of bankruptcy to deal with. Last month the company’s reorganization plan was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which means MGM will probably soon move ahead again with one of its most valuable projects: the next James Bond film. In fact, there have been numerous rumblings about the film returning to production over the last week — click on “more” to check out the info!

First, composer David Arnold (who has composed every Bond film since 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies) confirmed that the film is back on in an interview with Film Music Magazine, and also seems pretty confident that he will be returning as composer. I’ve always appreciated the effort of the Bond producers to keep the music in the films rather consistent, which helps with the overall “feel” of the Bond films, so this is great news.

Second, and more important, Kate Winslet, who is estranged from husband/Bond 23 director Sam Mendes (what is this, a celebrity gossip site?) told the UK’s Daily Mail that Mendes is prepared to move to England at the end of 2011 in order to shoot the film at the traditional Bond site, Pinewood Studios. As an extra bit of rumor news, Winslet also offers that Simon Russell Beale, who is primarily known for his extensive theater work, is being considered for a role in the film. Pretty tempting… I mean, sure, Beale usually does Shakespeare, but this is a James Bond movie!

Bond 23 is set for a November 2012 release. Daniel Craig is expected to return as Bond, and we can probably expect Judi Dench to return as M. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have written the past four Bond films, have also written the script for this film. Past rumors have suggested that the film will have some scenes shot in New York City.