Director Sam Mendes kept us on the edge of our seat with Skyfall, and then he left us hanging as we wondered whether or not he would return for the next James Bond movie.  Thankfully, he decided to get behind the camera again, and in a recent interview with Charlie Rose, he explained his decision.  While his initial reluctance stemmed from the time commitment, he felt that he had left the story incomplete.  "I cast a new M, I cast a new Moneypenny, I cast a new Q, I cast a new Tanner," said Mendes.  "I felt there was a way to create the second part of a two-part story."  He also explained that the flexibility on the part of EON, the production company behind James Bond, was also a reason for his return since they didn't rush back into production on the 24th film. "When they agreed to wait a little longer and not go immediately, and not go with two movies but with one—which I felt very strongly about—because initially there was that plan," Mendes confirmed.

Hit the jump for more.  James Bond 24 opens in the U.K. on October 23, 2015 and in the U.S. on November 6, 2015.

Mendes explained to Charlie Rose [via Empire] that this is a continuation of the Skyfall story, but not a narrative continuation.  "What we tried to do, and what audiences seemed to embrace in Skyfall was for the first time, characters were allowed to age, and they were allowed to acknowledge the passing of the years.  And they could acknowledge the history in a kind of sly, mischievous way."  The director also revealed that he wanted to re-experience the giddy excitement he shared with an audience when they saw the Aston Martin and the Bond theme played in Skyfall.

Check out the video below for the interview with Mendes (he starts talking about Bond around the 17-minute mark).

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