What SPECTRE Means to Bond 24

Read on to learn why we're geeked out by Sony Pictures' announcement.

When news quietly arrived back in November 2013 of MGM's purchase of two cherished James Bond titles - SPECTRE and baddie Ernst Stavro Blofeld - we had a feeling it wasn't coincidence. Mired in the court system for literally 50 years, MGM and creator Kevin McClory finally agreed to end their differences, paving the way for SPECTRE's return in a future Bond film. The billion-dollar returns for Skyfall weren't an accident, and the franchise has enjoyed a renaissance unequaled with gritty action and graying loyalties. In many ways, the franchise was ready to take the next big step. Up until today, what we didn't realize was just how soon the terrorist organization and its leader would return.

When Sony Pictures' media event - held on the Pinewood Studios lot in England - released the name of Bond 24 as SPECTRE, it set off a shockwave of speculation: would Django Unchained Actor Christoph Waltz go on to portray Blofeld, or is that role being readied for someone else? Early reports pegged 12 Years a Slave Chiwetel Ejiofor to possibly play Blofeld, but he was not at the media event hosted by Director Sam Mendes. With everyone (and everything) else announced today - including iconic car maker Aston Martin was providing the wheels courtesy of the gorgeous DB10 - it's likely that Ejiofor is no longer connected with the project.

Why is the SPECTRE name so important? Simply put, it's the Klingons to Star Trek: you can fight the Romulans or even the Borg, but without the pirates of the galaxy, your universe is just not as exciting. SPECTRE is an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion, and is generally described as an apolitical organization bent on the destruction of all governments except their own. Ernst Stavro Blofeld - who's been portrayed several times by different actors and parodied in Mike Meyers' Austin Powers trilogy - employs a variety of assassins, all named as Number 1, 2, and so on. Each name was rotated to keep Bond and MI6 from discovering their true identities.

If some of this sounds familiar, you're correct. Current Bond Daniel Craig - who's generally regarded as the best Bond of all time - fought a shadowy organization in Quantum of Solace, who was planning to hijack water supplies and initiate a coup in La Paz. Its break up by Bond in Austria - famously played out to Tosca - should have given us a clue as to what the franchise might be planning. The only other question - is Waltz playing Blofeld or not - seems to remind us of the John Harrison fiasco with Star Trek: Into Darkness. Even tough Actor Benedict Cumberbatch hit it out of the park as Khan, Paramount's desire to keep his true identity under wraps ultimately destroyed confidence in the film. If Waltz is to play Blofeld, we hope it's done in such a way as makes sense for the franchise. Perhaps a name to change to hide his identity? Either way, Sony and Mendes need to be very careful with this one.

SPECTRE offers Mendes and all future Bond directors the chance to tell a sweeping story of perhaps the first terrorist group to appear in modern cinema, an agency that haunts Bond and MI6 through multiple movies. It also allows Sony to either bookend these and future titles with Dr. No or re-invent the franchise completely. No one pursues a legal issue like this for 50 years, only to burn it in one movie. The same logic applies to Blofeld, who represents a 'when not if' logic that can't be beat. Think of the last time we enjoyed a memorable villain who spanned several films; Bofeld offers the beleaguered Sony Pictures just such an opportunity. This could be the studio's last chance before declaring bankruptcy or selling its entertainment division, so SPECTRE offers a chance to either save the company or sweeten its value before being sold.

With so many appealing titles already slated for 2015, and the deepest collection of December movies in recent memory, SPECTRE appears ready to blow the entire James Bond universe wide open...again. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until the film releases on November 6, 2015 in the US to see if our greatest hopes will be realized.

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