'James Bond 24' title and cast members: Here's what we know now about the movie

The title and cast members for the next 'James Bond' film were recently announced. Here are the clues the title and new characters give us about what's happening in the new movie.

We now know the title and cast members for the next “James Bond” movie.

According to the Telegraph, the upcoming film will be titled “Spectre.” As expected, “Skyfall” star Daniel Craig is returning as the titular character and the actors who portrayed Bond’s team members in the last film – “Paddington” actor Ben Whishaw as tech whiz Q; Naomie Harris of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” as Bond’s co-worker Moneypenny; and Ralph Fiennes of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” as, eventually, M, Bond’s superior – will all return, among others. 

New members of the cast include “Big Eyes” actor Christoph Waltz (as previously rumored), Dave Bautista of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Sherlock” actor Andrew Scott, “The Wonders” actress Monica Bellucci, and Léa Seydoux of “Blue Is the Warmest Color.” According to the Telegraph, “Spectre” director Sam Mendes, who also helmed the 2012 film “Skyfall,” introduced Seydoux and Bellucci at a press conference as “Bond ladies,” eschewing the “Bond girl” tag of previous films.

So about that title – fans of previous “Bond” films know that Spectre stands for “Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.” (Yes, someone may have thought the name sounded cool and worked backwards.) In “Bond” movies such as “Diamonds Are Forever,” Bond battled the organization Spectre, which was headed up by famous villain Ernst Blofeld, previously portrayed onscreen by various actors, including “Halloween” actor Donald Pleasence.

Is Blofeld in the new film, and if so, who’s playing him? Bautista was identified as playing a character named Mr. Hinx, who, according to the BBC, is a henchman. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Scott is playing a member of the British secret service named Denbigh. As for Waltz,  according to the Telegraph, Mendes didn’t name Waltz’s character during the press conference. However, the Bond Twitter feed tweeted, 

In Ian Fleming’s novels, Hannes Oberhauser worked as Bond’s ski instructor and Oberhauser and Bond became close. However, Oberhauser vanishes.

“Spectre” is set to be released on Nov. 6 in the US.