7 Apr – Following his praiseworthy performance as Solomon Northup in "12 Years A Slave", for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, Chiwetel Ejiofor is now the frontrunner to play the next Bond villain. Fox News reported that sources insisted Ejiofor is the top choice to play the villain in the follow-up to Sam Mendes' "Skyfall". However, no offer has been made to the English actor and scheduling still needs to be worked out. Ejiofor may have played the hero in "12 Years A Slave," but he is no stranger to the dark side, having played the villain in "Children Of Men" and "Four Brothers". Meanwhile, MGM and Sony are also looking to cast a British woman and "a Scandinavian with a troubled past who will serve as Bond's brief love interest as the new Bond girls.
No further details have been revealed about the plot, but Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw all return as James Bond, M, Moneypenny, and Q, respectively. Mendes will return to direct the untitled 24th and 25th instalments of the Bond franchise. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will produce, with John Logan penning the script. Production is scheduled to begin in summer in order to meet the film's release date of 6 November 2015.