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The latest - 22nd! - James Bond film enters production as Daniel Craig steps up once more as Britain's most famous superspy: 007.

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions Ltd, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios have announced the start of principal photography on the eagerly anticipated 22nd James Bond adventure: Quantum of Solace.

The new film will find Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 in the film which is directed by Marc Forster and follows the success of 2006's Casino Royale, the latest and highest grossing film in the series. Starring alongside Craig is an impressive international cast led by the critically acclaimed French actor Mathieu Amalric as the sinister villain, and the Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko who plays 007’s leading lady.

Returning from Casino Royale are Judi Dench in her role as M, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter and Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis. Newcomer to the Bond franchise, Gemma Arterton (currently starring in Brit-com. St Trinians) who will play the role of junior MI6 Agent Fields.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said: “We are fortunate to continue in the 'Bond tradition of attracting the finest international actors for our starring roles. Mathieu in the role of Dominic Greene, a leading member of the villainous organization introduced in Casino Royale, will be a powerful counterpart to Daniel’s portrayal of Bond. Olga Kurylenko will play the dangerously alluring Camille, who challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal.”

Continuing the high octane adventures of the re-launched James Bond franchise the new film will find agent 007 betrayed by Vesper - the woman he loved - fighting the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr White (Jesper Christensen) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined...

Forensic intelligence links a traitor at the British Secret Service to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille - played by Olga Kurylenko - a woman who has her own vendetta to carry out. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (played by Mathieu Amalric), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation that opposes our hero.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (played by Joaquin Cosio. Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organisation.

MGM and Sony Pictures will share distribution rights worldwide with Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing International distributing the film to theatres worldwide on in November. Marc Forster directs the screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis. The unit includes Production Designer Dennis Gassner, Director of Photography Roberto Schaefer, Editors Matt Chesse and Rick Pearson, and 2nd Unit Director Dan Bradley.

Mathieu Amalric, one of France’s leading screen stars, is best known for his roles as Jean-Dominique Bauby in Julian Schnabel’s award-winning film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and as the French information broker, Louis, in Steven Spielberg’s Munich. Last year, he was awarded 'Best Actor' at France’s César Awards for his role in the internationally acclaimed comedy Kings and Queen, directed by Arnaud Desplechin. Previously, Amalric won the César for 'Most Promising Actor' for his role in Desplechin’s My Sex Life.

Amalric began his career as an actor in 1984, appearing in Otar Losseliani’s Les favoris de la lune, and went on to serve as an assistant director to Louis Malle on Au Revoir Les Enfants. As an actor, he has since worked with many leading directors including André Téchiné, Olivier Assayas, Jean-Claude Biette and the Larrieu Brothers. His latest films include Desplechin’s Un Conte de Noel, Claude Miller’s Un Secret, Nicolas Klotz’s Heart Beat Detector, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s Actrices and Vincent Dieutre’s Fragments sur le grace.

He also appeared in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Amalric has written and directed a number of films including Wimbledon Stage and, most recently, the documentary short Let Them Grow Up Here. This year, he directs Tournée, about American burlesque girls on tour in France.

Here's what Lizo Mzimba, the BBC's Entertainment Correspondent thought of the film after its media screening: "Clocking in at one and three-quarter hours, it's a good half hour shorter than 007's previous outing. And its reduced running time results in a leaner, tauter experience...For a lot of the movie Bond is a particularly unsympathetic character, and often it's only Craig's performance along with the shifting morality of Bond's legion of enemies that forces the audience to root for him." Read her full review here.

For more information on all things 007, visit the official website: www.007.com

Quantum of Solace is due for release 7 November.

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