If you’ve been around here for a bit, you’ll know I was getting nervous about the next James Bond movie, what with MGM’s financial troubles and all. It turns out, everything is going to be all right.

Bond 23 (insert cool name that sounds vaguely like one of the novels OR the actual name of a short story not yet used in the film series, regardless of its actual link—or lack thereof—to the story of the movie) is set to be released 9 November, 2012. That’s a long fuckin’ wait, let me tell you.

Sam Mendes is still set to direct, and Daniel Craig is still set to star.

Now, this means we’ll have been waiting a damn long time for our Bond fix (Quantum of Solace was released 14 November 2008 in North America), so they better deliver up something damn fine. If they don’t, I might write a nasty post, and nobody wants that, I assure you.

As MGM begins to come to terms—legally and economically—with its financial situation, good news is seeping out. First we learned the Hobbit was finally going forward. Now there’s word that not only is the next James Bond film set to move forward, but the big names are still attached to it.

Both Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes are apparently returning for Bond 23 (awaiting cool, or at least intended to be cool title). To me, this is good news. Here’s hoping the hiatus has allowed them to cook up something like Casino Royale but without the Quantum of Solace.

With the MGM having filed for bankruptcy, projects can begin production (or not, I really have no fucking clue about financial stuff), and it seems that there is some hope that the next Bond movie might be out as early as November 2012.

Yeah, I know, 2 years doesn’t seem “early,” but considering that’s from dead to total, public life, that’s not too bad. There is a script out there, but will it be used? There is a director attached (Sam Mendes), but will he still be available? And how will this fit into Daniel Craig’s schedule?

There’s hope at least, and if things do actually get cleared up, we’re told the Bond movies will be coming pretty regularly.

Let’s hope. Let’s also hope this resurrected Bond doesn’t begin the decline that seems to invariably hit every re-energized, re-focused moment in the film franchise.

Rumours are afoot that Spyglass Entertainment’s work to clear up MGM’s debt (and, I would assume, takeover the company) means that both the Hobbit and the next Bond movie will begin production next week.

Sir Ian McKellan has mentioned in an interview that he was set to be Gandalf in January. Does that mean the filming will start then or something else entirely? Nobody knows yet.

And word is that Sam Mendes has passed on a recent project because he expects the new Bond film, which he is to be directing, to gear up next year.

Good news, both of those, if they turn out to be true. Right now, it’s all rumour and parsing information out of flippant remarks.

In an interview, Clint Eastwood has said that he was offered the roles of Superman and James Bond. Apparently, the Superman offer was when the idea was first surfacing, so it would have been well before Christopher Reeves involvement. The Bond offer came after Sean Connery left the roles, though it isn’t clear if this was after You Only Live Twice or after Diamonds are Forever.

I honestly can’t see Eastwood in either of those roles, and I think he made a good choice passing on them. Eastwood is certainly versatile, but I believe he does have a type—if only because of his looks and his build—and I really can’t see him in the Superman costume. As for James Bond, it would have been a hoot to have Eastwood as Felix Leiter, but not Bond.

Even if Eastwood could do a perfect British accent, which is by no means assured.

You can read the interview here.

The MGM bankruptcy fiasco continues, as its creditors have provided it with a further extension, meaning the deadline for a resolution is now September 15th. This means that the deadline for a resolution on things like the Hobbit and the next Bond movie have also been pushed back.

Y’know, MGM has had a storied history and all, but if the thing needs to die, just let it die. The thing here is that it has a large back catalogue one which a lot of people want to get their hands.

But due to the delay, the Hobbit lost Guillermo del Toro, and may lose Ian McKellan. Who knows if Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig will be around to deliver the next Bond, as had been planned.

That, ladies and gentlemen, sucks.

As much as I was tepid on Quantum of Solace, it was a heck of a lot better than most of the scripts Brosnan got. Now, because MGM is going tits up, we don’t know when we’ll see the next Bond.

We know we’re going to get a new Bond movie. The question is just: when? The big fear is that we’ll lose Daniel Craig, someone who did a great job of bringing the cold bastard of the novels part way to the screen. Not since From Russia With Love has Bond been so cool and so close to the literary character.

If they had only given him the scar.

We might not just lose Craig. Sam Mendes was signed for Bond 23. Now Mendes isn’t known for his huge action extravaganzas, however, if he can make Tom Hanks bad-ass, I think he just might have what it takes.

So, what’s going to happen with Bond? Who knows. I just hope that it’ll be soon enough to take advantage of the talent that’s available for it.

If you could have pretty much any director on your all but immortal action franchise?

The guy who directed American Beauty, of course!

I kid, I kid. Sam Mendes also directed Road to Perdition, so having him on board for the next Bond film does make sense.

I hope we can expect something like Casino Royale, but trimmed a bit. That was almost a perfect Bond.

Perfect, as in From Russia, With Love.