After a number of months with news on the James Bond 24 sequel, Sony has finally announced when the movie will start shooting and who will join the new cast.

The film is highly anticipated, especially since "Skyfall" was such a huge hit and it became the highest grossing Bond movie in the franchise.

So who will be in the upcoming film and what do we know up to this point?

Cast

As predicted, Daniel Craig will reprise his portrayal of James Bond. The actor has already been featured in three films: "Casino Royale" "Quantum of Solace" and "Skyfall." The actor is contracted to do five installments and, as a result, James Bond 24 could be his penultimate feature in the franchise.

Ralph Fiennes will reprise the role of M and essentially take over Judi Dench's M, who died in "Skyfall." Fiennes recently starred in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and is set to star in the Coen Brother's latest film "Hail, Cesar!."

Naomie Harris will also return to the series as the role of field agent-turned-secretary Eve Moneypenny. It will be a rare instance where a Bond girl appears in more than one film and it is likely that Moneypenny will play yet another crucial role in the film. However, producers have not confirmed if there will be another Bond girl other than Harris.

Ben Whishaw, best known for his work on "Cloud Atlas" and "Perfume," will also reprise his role as Q. The actor played a tech wiz in "Skyfall" who helped Bond out in his missions. Q's character is likely to be developed and continue to play a crucial role in Bond's missions.

Rory Kinnear will return as MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner. The actor has appeared in two Bond films: "Skyfall" and "Quantum of Solace."

One of the actors that has not been confirmed is Chiwetel Ejiofor. The British actor has been rumored for some time to play the lead villain. The actor recently had a breakout in "12 Years a Slave" for which he was nominated for the Oscar. He has appeared as a villain in numerous films including the science fiction drama "Children of Men."

Director

Sam Mendes will direct the film after finding success in "Skyfall." Pundits were skeptical about Mendes directing "Skyfall" because he had never directed a big budget studio production and had no experience with action movies.

Mendes won the Oscar for his work on "American Beauty" and later went on to direct "Jarhead," "Road to Perdition" and "Revolutionary Road." He has also directed a number of plays and actors have praised him as one of the best actor's directors in Hollywood.

Writers

John Logan wrote the original script for James Bond 24. The scribe wrote "Skyfall" and is also known for his work on the acclaimed features "Hugo," "Rango," "Gladiator" and "The Aviator."

Rewrites for the film were done by Robert Wade and Neal Purvis. Wade was nominated for a BAFTA for "Casino Royale" and worked on five Bond movies.

Meanwhile, Purvis has teamed up with Wade on those five Bond movies. After the success of "Skyfall," it will be interesting to see if the same writing team could obtain the same success and quality.

James Bond 24 is set to open next fall on Nov. 6, 2015 and Sony will release the installment.

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