Sam Mendes

Is Christoph Waltz playing classic Bond villain Blofeld? Director Sam Mendes has been pretty coy about it, but all signs seem to indicate “yes.” The latest TV spot for Spectre introduces Daniel Craig’s James Bond to the shadowy organization led by Waltz’s enigmatic villain, and throws in a few extra explosions and chase sequences for good measure.

Sony debuted the final trailer for Spectre on Thursday, which features a handful of footage from the previous trailers, but includes some new action sequences and a better look at Christoph Waltz outside of the shadows.

Almost as soon as Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz was attached to star in Spectre, the rumors began that he would be playing legendary James Bond villain Ernst Blofeld. Yet, when the cast was officially announced (via a press conference in London), Waltz was announced as playing “Franz Oberhauser”. In the time since, 007 fans have debated whether this is all an elaborate ruse (not unlike the Benedict Cumberbatch / John Harrison / Khan Star Trek Into Darkness debacle), or whether Waltz really and truly is not playing Blofeld. Now, Spectre director Sam Mendes has finally chimed in to try and clear things up.

James Bond has always been more of a figure than a character, sliding through the decades as constantly fluctuating collection of what society enjoys at any particular time. 007’s evolution into something more complex and human in the Daniel Craig era is also a reflection of the times. This is what we want out of an action hero in 2015. Now, Spectre looks to take this route to its natural conclusion. According to director Sam Mendes, his film will answer one of the great unanswered questions in cinema: Where did James Bond come from?

Casino Royale may have stripped James Bond down to the bone, but the ensuing Daniel Craig entries in the immortal series have been slowly sliding all of the old tropes back into the series. In addition to resurrecting 007’s oldest nemesis, Spectre looks to bring back the “Bond woman” in a big way...

Daniel Craig’s James Bond doesn’t know what the word “spectre” means. But James Bond fans do.

After directing both Skyfall and Spectre back to back, Sam Mendes appears to be done with the James Bond franchise. That may come as a disappointment to 007 fans who were thrilled with Mendes’ work on Skyfall and are highly anticipating Spectre — judging by the trailers, we’re in for another great Bond outing.

While we very, very patiently await the full trailer for Spectre, the production has been keeping us occupied with photos and video blogs from the set, for which we should all be very, very grateful. The latest video update focuses on the classy, shiny (and very expensive) cars from the film, as well as the exciting chase sequences — because what is a Bond film without a good ol’ fashioned chase?

No James Bond adventure is complete without a little globe-trotting. When last we checked in with Spectre, the newest (and 24th, if you’re keeping score at home) Bond film, Daniel Craig was out turtlenecking it up in Austria with Léa Seydoux and Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista. The new batch of official set photos from 007.com find Craig, director Sam Mendes, and the rest of the Bond team have decamped for Mexico, where 007 is leaping across rooftops (in a really crisp suit) amidst a big holiday parade. Here’s the official description to go along with the images:

It’s finally here: the first teaser trailer for Spectre, the next installment in the James Bond franchise. After months of set photos and teases, we have our first legitimate look at the new 007 film, which promises to reveal some dark secrets Daniel Craig’s Bond has been hiding for years and years, as well as the shadowy figure that has something to do with it.