After making the fantastic Casino Royale, the baffling Quantum of Solace, and the good Skyfall, Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes made Spectre, with the first appearance of the organization since Never Say Never Again, or You Only Live Twice.


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Spectre is a 2015 spy film and the twentyfourth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions for MetroGoldwynMayer and Columbia Pictures. It is the fourth film to feature Daniel Craig as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, and the second film in the series directed by Sam Mendes following Skyfall. It was written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth. It is the final James Bond film to be distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Releasing, as Universal Pictures will internationally distribute the next film in the series, No Time to Die.

The story sees Bond pitted against the global criminal organization Spectre and their enigmatic leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), who plans to launch a national surveillance network to mastermind criminal activities across the globe. The film marks Spectre and Blofeld's first appearance in an Eon Productions film since 1971's Diamonds Are Forever; a character resembling Blofeld had previously appeared in the 1981 film, For Your Eyes Only, but, because of the Thunderball controversy, he is not named, nor is his face shown. Several James Bond characters, including M, Q, and Eve Moneypenny, return, with new additions Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, Andrew Scott as Max Denbigh, and Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra.

Spectre was filmed from December 2014 to July 2015 in Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Morocco and Mexico. The action scenes prioritized practical effects and stunts, while employing computergenerated imagery made by five different companies. Spectre was estimated to have cost around $245 million—with some sources listing it as high as $300 million—making it the most expensive Bond film and one of the most expensive films ever made.

Spectre was released on 26 October 2015 in the United Kingdom on the same night of the world premiere at the London Royal Albert Hall. It was followed by a worldwide release, including IMAX screenings. It was released in the United States on 6 November. Spectre received mixed reviews from critics who praised the film's action sequences, cinematography, acting and musical score, though some criticism was aimed at the excessive runtime, screenplay and pacing. The theme song "Writing's on the Wall", performed and cowritten by Sam Smith, won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Spectre grossed over $880 million worldwide, making it the sixthhighestgrossing film of 2015 and the secondlargest unadjusted total for the series after Skyfall.

The next film in the series, No Time to Die, is to be released in April 2021, with Craig reprising his role for the final time and Cary Joji Fukunaga directing.