Next James Bond film titled ‘Spectre,’ adds Waltz, Bellucci, Bautista

James Bond’s past is coming back to haunt him. The next film starring the suave super-spy has been titled “Spectre,” director Sam Mendes announced Thursday morning during an event at Pinewood Studios outside London.

The title will likely ring a bell for Bond aficionados as the name of the international terrorist organization SPECTRE — that would be the Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion — which Agent 007 battled in his screen debut “Dr. No” and subsequent films.

Mendes also revealed new cast members for the 24th movie in the Bond series, including rumored villain Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx (a likely henchman), Andrew Scott as new MI6 member Denbigh, and Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux as “Bond ladies” Lucia Sciarra and Madeleine Swann.

Set for release Nov. 6, “Spectre” will mark Daniel Craig’s fourth outing as Bond, and this time he’ll be behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB10. Also returning to the franchise are Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny and Rory Kinnear as Tanner.

Sony Pictures described the plot in a statement: “A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. 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.”

The film is Mendes’ second as a Bond director, after “Skyfall.” That film was a critical and commercial hit that grossed more than $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office, won two Academy Awards (on five nominations) and helped dust off the Bond series.

“Spectre” begins production Monday at Pinewood and will also shoot in London, Rome, Mexico City, the Moroccan city of Tangier and the Austrian alps.

Follow @ogettell for movie news