Daniel Craig has starred in 3 of the most successful and critically acclaimed Bond films in recent memory. With Craig at the helm, the Bond franchise has undergone a rethink and huge revival. Bond isn’t so much about slick gadgets and seduction any more, which was when new “Q” Ben Wishaw gave Bond nothing more than a gun and a radio in Skyfall. Instead Bond is a more modern, human spy; prone to doubt, failure and weakness but dragged through by an unflinching sense of duty.

Recently we learned that “Bond 24” as it had been codenamed, will be entitled SPECTRE and is slated to be released in November 2015. Even this seemingly trivial clue has aroused a lot of excitement among Bond fans – SPECTRE is the name of one of Bond’s oldest enemies; The SPecial Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. This nasty bunch were a regular adversary in earlier Bond films, headed up by the mysterious, cat stroking Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

But all might not be well for series star Daniel Craig; who has been pictured looking severely tired and haggard in recent weeks. It’s understandable that Craig might be feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. For one thing the 3 year gap between Skyfall and the projected 2015 release of SPECTRE wasn’t just down to scheduling clashes or pay negotiations – at one point the entire future of the franchise was in jeopardy.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) the powerhouse movie producer and distributor; which owns the franchise, was in serious financial difficulty. At one point the company had to enter “Chapter 11” bankruptcy protection in the USA, leading to serious worries from fans that the franchise would be sold off. A new owner would not even necessarily have continued making Bond films and could have focused on maximising ad and sponsorship revenue; rather than diverting figure budgets to make blockbusters.

To add to his woes it seems that a hugely expensive car chase scene will have to be re-planned after furious protesters successfully lobbied against the use of the 15th Century Ponte Sisto Bridge in Rome. Big movies are stressful work, something Craig is bound to know only too well. At least he’s likely to be put up in luxury 5* hotels wherever he travels, so he can hopefully catch up on some beauty sleep. But if its your bed at home that’s giving you trouble Daniel, try getting yourself a nice, supportive Breasley mattress from Bedstar; it can do wonders for your back!

To make things worse, SPECTRE is significantly over budget, and may come in at a grand total of over $300,000,000; making it one of the most expensive films ever. To justify that outlay Bond 24 has to step up to the enormous expectations created by Skyfall (which grossed over $1 billion at box offices). Anything less would be almost seen as a failure given the vast budget and star power invested.

Whatever production snagy SPECTRE may hit; fans still have faith in the dream team of Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes to create a winning installment. We can’t wait until November!