It’s been four years since Daniel Craig’s last stint as James Bond, thanks to long and painful bankruptcy proceedings at MGM, but finally, the first teaser trailer for Skyfall is online. Though we still don’t know a lot about the film, from what we gather in this new teaser, Skyfall appears to be a location. The film seems to center around a mission Bond undertakes for M. Either the mission is wrong, it goes badly, or Bond betrays his country. In any case, several British agents or soldiers appear to die and Bond is seen being questioned about the incident as if he’s a criminal.
The official plot description: “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.”
The teaser doesn’t reveal much, but does show that this might be one of the more stylized Bond movies. There are a lot of very unique shots for a bond movie, like the one above, where Bond runs down a crowded city street. The men to thank or hate for this will be director Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead) and screenwriter John Logan, who is best known for Gladiator, The Last Samurai, and Hugo. While Logan has some experience with action, Mendes is known almost exclusively for rather slow dramas. While putting an acclaimed drama director behind a Bond movie might sound like a good way to class it up, don’t forget that 2008’s Quantum of Solace was directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction). Solace was heavily criticized for both its action and story, proving that you never know how well a new director will handle the material. Mendes and Logan aren’t alone. All of the regular Bond producers are back and the screenplay was co-written by 007 veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Together, they have co-written the last four Bond movies.
In addition to Craig reprising his role as Bond, known actors like Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, and Ralph Fiennes will appear in the film. Skyfall is set to hit UK theaters on Oct. 26 and US theaters Nov. 9, 2012.
