Director Sam Mendes made one of the best James Bond films with Skyfall, and now he has the unenviable task of trying to top it with Spectre. Both films have been an “enormous undertaking,” according to Mendes, and he told BBC Radio's Test Match Special [via BBC News] that he’s done with the franchise after Spectre comes out. "I don't think I could go down that road again," Mendes said. "You do have to put everything else on hold,” adding that making a Bond film is “really is more a lifestyle choice than a job.” Mendes was hesitant to return for a second Bond film, but Sony was willing to wait while he took care of a stage production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and so hopefully the studio’s patience and the director’s prudence pays off.

"This is a bigger movie than Skyfall. It's shot in more places - we were in Mexico City and Tangiers and northern Sahara and Rome and the Alps and London,” says Mendes. He also says that the theme song is finished, but wouldn’t disclose the title or the artist. However, he did say we “won't have to wait long.” If we go by the timeline for Skyfall, we should be hearing the track sometime in early October, although perhaps we’ll know the artist before then.

Spectre opens in the U.K. on October 26th and in the U.S. on November 6th. The film stars Daniel Craig as James Bond, Ben Wishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser, Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, David Bautista as Mr. Hinx and Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, and Stephanie Sigman as Estrella.


Here’s the official synopsis for Spectre:

A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

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Image via Sony Pictures and MGM