The first pictures of Javier Bardem as the villain in the new James Bond film Skyfall have surfaced over the weekend. They are indeed a bit spoilerish, so we’ll hide them and some new details about his character, below a not so spoilerish set photo of Daniel Craig. As always, click on each photo for a larger view.

OK, so the filming was taking place at Whitehall, the street where a number of government buildings and offices are and which is considered to be the center of the British government. Judging by Bardem’s costume below, he is probably trying to sneak by Bond and the assorted gun-totting types after pulling off some sort of caper, perhaps in the MI6 offices themselves.

As to his character’s identity, that mystery has been solved by the Bond website James Bond Brasil (via Bleeding Cool) have posted some call sheets from the production that list Bardem’s character as “Silva,” so we can discount any rumors/speculation/hope that he was playing a new version of a classic Bond series villain like Blofeld.

Skyfall hits theaters this November.

As production continues on the next James Bond adventure Skyfall, director Sam Mendes has released a video blog from the set. It’s perhaps not as comprehensive as some of the ones that Peter Jackson has released from the set of The Hobbit, but we do get to see a bit of non-spoilery behind the scenes footage. The short clip is more Mendes talking about his own feelings about the Bond franchise and how impressed he was when it rebooted everything and brought in Daniel Craig for 2006′s Casino Royale. Hopefully future installments will show us some more specific glimpses of what the production is up to.

The latest James Bond adventure, Skyfall, will also be the first of the five-decades-old franchise to get a release in IMAX theaters it was announced today. The film will be digitally remastered for the format by the time it opens internationally on October 26 and two weeks later on November 9 in the US.

In The press release announcement, which you can read in its entirety below, IMAX Filmed Entertainment Chairman and President Greg Foster is quoted as saying “It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this legendary franchise, whose iconic characters and electrifying action will only be amplified in the IMAX format.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think that last part will be exactly true.

The truth of the matter is that director Sam Mendes has not been shooting any portion of Skyfall with actual IMAX cameras. This means that the frame shot with a standard movie camera will be digitally enlarged for the bigger IMAX screen, which could possibly lead to some picture degradation. Standard digital cameras do not have the resolution capacity that IMAX projection requires and that IMAX digital cameras possess.

Additionally, I can find no mention that Mendes and his director of photography Roger Deakins have actually shot any of the film with the idea that it will be seen on IMAX screens with their substantially different aspect ratios from traditional theater widescreens. Will their work have to be cropped for IMAX?

The upshot is that this may very well not be as exciting and immersive a film experience as the recent Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – which did have sections shot with IMAX cameras and an eye for the different screen requirements of the format – was.

Now it is possible that the press release is just referencing the IMAX branded screens that are nothing more than enlarged standard theater screens with a higher end audio and digital presentation and not the 1.44:1 aspect ration of what I guess we could call “classic” IMAX presentation. If that is the case, there should probably be no real composition compromise, but if the few films I’ve seen on these newer IMAX branded screens are any indication, there will still be some possibility of a less than crisp picture.

But hey, given MGM’s financial problems over the last few years, I really can’t blame them for trying to rake in a few extra bucks through an IMAX upcharge on tickets. Makes me surprised that they didn’t go all out a try for a post-production 3D conversion as well.

Here’s the complete press release -

Los Angeles – February 23, 2012 – IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that the long-awaited next chapter in the famed James Bond franchise, SKYFALL, will be released in IMAX® theatres simultaneously with the film’s international release on Oct. 26, and its domestic release on Nov. 9, 2012. This is the first IMAX installment of the iconic Bond film franchise.

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

SKYFALL marks the return of Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007, as well as Judi Dench reprising her role as M. The film also stars franchise newcomers Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris. The film is directed by Sam Mendes from a screenplay written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producers.

“SKYFALL will be the cool, must-see event release of the fall, and releasing the film in IMAX only reinforces that,” said Rory Bruer, President, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution.

“It is fitting that with SKYFALL marking the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond franchise, we celebrate in epic style and what could be more larger-than-life than IMAX joining the festivities,” said Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officers of MGM.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this legendary franchise, whose iconic characters and electrifying action will only be amplified in the IMAX format,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We are excited to rejoin forces with our friends at Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM and so pleased to work with Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Sam Mendes to bring their vision to IMAX and Bond fans around the world.”

The IMAX release of SKYFALL will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Skyfall.

Just moments ago at a press conference to note the launch of production on the twety-third James Bond film, producers Michael G WIlson and Barbara Broccoli confirmed that the rumors that the next James Bond adventure will indeed be titled Skyfall.

Ironically, the press conference was held on the same date that Sean Connery was announced as being Bond prior to the production of the first 007 film Dr. No.

The film will shoot in London using large sections ofthe Whitehall area as well as Shanghai in China, Istanbull in Turkey, and Scotland. Production on the film had been delayed due to MGM’s long drawn-out bankruptcy,

The title is the first one for a Bond film that doesn’t directly stem from the literary roots of the character as created by Ian Fleming. Broccoli explained that Skyfall will have “some emotional context” that will become clear when we see the film.

The conference also confirmed reports that Albert Finney has joined the cast. It was also confirmed that Javier Bardem will be the villain of the film and that Ralph Fiennes will also have a role, though what part it is went undisclosed. Naomie Harris will be playing a field agent named Eve, not the role of Miss Moneypenny as previously rumored.

Plot details are still scarce, but when asked if the film will feature a return to the gadgets that the franchise has been known for, director Sam Mendes dodged the question but stated that there would be “plenty of surprises.”

One surprising detail was Mendes’s statement that Skyfall “is its own story. It doesn’t connect with the last two movies.” Previously, Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace shared story threads concerning the uncovering of a global-spanning terrorist organization.

Although Mendes is known primarily for dramas like American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, the director stated he was looking forward to shooting action sequences, noting “action needs to co-exist with the drama.”

The film will be released next November as part of MGM’s celebration of the film franchise’s 50th Anniversary.

Will British secret agent James Bond face off against his perennial nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the upcoming untitled twenty-third Bond film?

John Logan, who is one of the writers who have worked on the screenplay for the just-about-to-go-into-production Bond 23, has hinted as much in a recent appearance in London while speaking at one of the British Film Institute’s “Screenwriter Lectures” series. WhatCulture reports -

Rather interestingly, during the talk last night Logan was reminded by an audience member of a quote that he said some ten years ago that, in his opinion, “Bond should always fight Blofeld”. When pressed on this he gave a wry smile and said “Bond should always fight Blofeld”.

So was Logan dropping an obvious hint or just putting out a bit of misinformation to conceal the screenplay’s real surprises?

Although he only appeared in three of Ian Fleming’s original Bond novels, Blofeld made appearances in six of the Bond franchise films, seven if you the ersatz Never Say Never Again.

As leader of SPECTRE (the Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion), Blofeld has crossed swords with Bond on several occasions. He has been portrayed by the likes of Donald Pleasance, Charles Gray and Telly Savalas. His most notable and notorious appearance was in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service when he and henchwoman Irma Bunt brutally murder Bond’s hours-old wife Tracy.

Now granted, there conceivably is room in the upcoming Bond film for the character, should the producers choose to use him. The terrorist organization Quantum that Bond has been slowly uncovering since the franchise rebooted with Daniel Craig in the role still hasn’t had its leader revealed. And Quantum does feel like a modernized version of the SPECTRE terrorist group that Blofeld ran in the older films.

The problem with this, though, is the convoluted, real-life legal wranglings surrounding the Blofeld character. At the heart of the problem lay a question of who actually created Blofeld and SPECTRE and who owned the rights to the character. Both had their origins in a James Bond film project titled Thunderball that pre-dated 007’s first cinematic appearance in 1961’s Dr. No. When that project fell through, Flemming went on to use much of the material he felt he developed for the film in the novel Thunderball, causing the aborted project’s producer Kevin McClory to sue. The lawsuit was settled out of court and McClory held onto certain rights that allowed him to team with the Bond franchise’s producers for the 1965 adaption of Thunderball. McClory also tried numerous times to remake Thunderball or use the rights to launch a competing Bond franchise, though the only time he was successful was with 1983’s Never Say Never Again.

Even though McClory passed away in 2006 and MGM now owns the distribution rights for Never Say Never Again, it appears as if there is still some question as to who may own the rights that McClory claimed. As such, I tend to doubt that Logan was dropping any real hint so much as he was just winding up fans.

Of course, this doesn’t preclude that the film’s villain, to be played by Javier Bardem, couldn’t be modeled after Blofeld. As I noted before, the Quentum organization is similar to the old SPECTRE organization, so why not continue the parallel by giving it a leader who may have a passing similarity to the character?

Bond 23 is set to be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Logan and Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Joining Craig in the cast are Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris.

The one thing that almost any James Bond fan will agree has been missing from the recent reboot of the series with Daniel Craig as the British secret agent with a license to kill has been Miss Moneypenny. As the secretary to the M, the head of Britain’s Secret Service, Miss Moneypenny has been the one constant woman in Bond’s life, the two sharing a flirtatious relationship that never, much to Moneypenny’s consternation, never seems to go any further.

But that should change with the next, as yet untitled, Bond adventure. The Daily Mail is reporting that Naomie Harris is currently in discussion to play the part when cameras roll on the new film this fall.

Harris got her start in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later but is probably best known for her turn as Callisto in the second and third Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. It remains to be seen if director Sam Mendes wants her to play the part in the same flirtatious way that original Moneypenny Lois Maxwell made famous or if the character is going to be taken in a different direction remains to be seen.

A film adaptation of Vertigo Comics’ Preacher graphic novel line has be inching along through 13 years of development hell. An announcement has come today that might make it seem that journey is close to an end. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

D.J. Caruso, director of the current#3 film in America, I Am Number Four, announced via Twitter that he is officially signed on to direct the adaptation of the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon comic series.

That “going back to the dark side” comment is interesting. The darkest film of his career was 2002′s The Salton Sea, but as of late he has been more known for popcorn thrillers like Disturbia and Eagle Eye. His experience in this genre of film has caused a bit of naysaying along the Internet (CHUD.com titles its coverage of this news “DJ Caruso Determined To Make Preacher Lame“) and Caruso’s flirtation with the dark side has never quite gotten this dark.

Created in 1995, Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher who is possessed by a supernatural entity that is the offspring of a demon and an angel. This possession gives Custer the ability to force any human to do whatever Custer wants as long as Custer says the words. Custer’s new powers compels him to go on a search for God, who has abandoned Heaven when the spirit inside Custer was born. Custer is joined on his quest by his ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare and an Irish vampire named Cassidy.

The series was full of pitch-black humor and extreme violence–usually going hand in hand. It is also known for it’s hard-hitting examination of religious themes. Besides the absentee god, there is also the inbred offspring of Jesus, various fallen angels, and more blasphemy than you can shake a stick at.

This approach to religion has been rumored to be the main cause of Preacher’s slow journey to the screen. The graphic novel was first optioned way back in 1998 and names such as Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, The Weinstein Brothers, Jason Marsden, Mark Steven Johnson, Sam Mendes, and John August have been attached to the project over the years. The film version has moved from Miramax Films to Columbia Pictures, and, for a brief time, an HBO series was planned. Many of the speed bumps along the way were rumored to be due to the fact that a suit got skittish over the irreverent take on the Christian dogma.

Caruso was once attached to helm another Vertigo adaptation, Y: The Last Man. He would often express when that project came up in interviews that he wanted to do justice to the original book. One assumes that we can expect the same here. Of course, that is if the studio doesn’t get to scared by the almost certain firestorm of controversy that would develop once the film hits theaters and either asks for plot changes or scraps the project once again.

What is it about the new James Bond film that is attracting some big gun talents? We’ve had Academy Award winner Sam Mendes set to direct the film for some time now and just this past week we learned that Oscar winner has been offered a role and that he is thinking it over. And now it has been reported that twice-Academy Award nominated Ralph Fiennes has is also in discussions with producers for a role in the film.

The Daily Mail is siting an unnamed source for their story, and they stress this is not the same role that Bardem has been discussing.

The Mail‘s source explained Fiennes interest in appearing in the film by stating that “the part is one of extreme complexity and only an actor of great ability and dexterity can take it on — and Ralph’s name is top of our list.” The paper further quotes an unnamed Hollywood executive as saying “It’s the first of a new generation of Bond films, and the ideas Mendes has push the film into darker territory where the characters are modern, mature and challenging.”

While there is plenty of speculation going on as to what role Fiennes may be playing, I think the really interesting thing going on here is that Mendes seems to have plans for this film strong enough to get the likes of actors like Fiennes and Bardem interested in participating? For years, it seems that the producers of the Bond franchise have played things safe, never really pushing the franchise’s long-standing formula in any new directions. But it seems that 2005′s reboot of the series in Casino Royale has emboldened producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Brocolli to make the series more than just escapist fare and that makes me excited to see what the end result will be.

He hasn’t said “yes” yet, but Javier Bardem is seriously, and excitedly, thinking about the offer he received over the weekend to star opposite Daniel Craig in the next installment of the James Bond franchise.

The actor confirmed to the LA Times suspicions that the role he was offered is indeed that of the villain of the new film, but that the role will be different than how it has been seen in the franchise in the past.

They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic. I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes, but it’s not that obvious. Everything is more nuanced. It’s very intriguing.

Bardem conceded that he has not read a script for the film yet and that his acceptance of the role will be based on whether it holds up to how director Sam Mendes described the part when the two meet about the film.

One of the big questions coming out of MGM’s financial restructuring has been when the next installment of the long running James Bond franchise, put on hold last April, will get back into development. The studio answered that question today with the announcement that Bond 23 will be going forward and should be filming by the end of the year for a November 9, 2012 release.

As expected Daniel Craig will be back for this next installment, his third, as the British secret agent. Sam Mendes, who was attached to the film before it’s hiatus last spring, is still set to direct. The script, which is said to pick up soon after the end of the last Bond film Quantum Of Solace, will be written by franchise mainstays Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and John Logan. Logan replaces writer Peter Morgan who moved on to other projects during the hiatus.

What is up in the air is who exactly will distribute the new film.Eon Productions, the company that produces the Bond films, have a rare autonomy as to what they can do with the property. If some reason MGM can’t do it, expect Sony, who distributed Quantum Of Solace, to put up a fight for the right to. Paramount could also be a strong contender given their relationship with Spyglass Entertainment, a key figure in MGM’s financial rescue and the producers of Paramount’s successful Star Trek reboot.

Regardless of who gets us the film though, this some great news for Bond fans.