Daniel Craig in James Bond Spectre
Daniel Craig reprises his role as iconic spy James Bond in Sam Mendes' Spectre which is released in cinemas on 26 October 2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / Columbia Pictures

Devoted James Bond fans are no doubt squealing with excitement today (26 October 2015) as the long-awaited 007 sequel, Spectre, will finally be released in cinemas. Daniel Craig will be reprising his role as the British spy, who finds himself with a whole new save-the-day mission and of course, a bevy of Bond girls to keep him busy.

Spectre, which is the first Bond movie since the release of 2012's Skyfall, could become one of the biggest 007 movies to date with a staggering budget, stunning locations and the first Bond theme tune to reach number one on the UK charts thanks to Sam Smith. As fans prepare to head to the cinema, the IBTimes UK provides a low-down on everything worth knowing about Spectre ...

Director

Hollywood director Sam Mendes took over the reigns of directing Bond from Marc Forster with Skyfall as his debut project. Craig, 47, revealed he was keen to work with the director again, telling The Telegraph: "I was desperate for him to do it, not least of all because I thought we'd started something in Skyfall, and certainly he had."

Cast

Starring alongside Craig will be Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, Christoph Waltz as Franz Oberhauser, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q.

What does Spectre mean?

Spectre stands for special executive for counter-intelligence, terrorism, revenge and extortion. After its early origins as a small unit of criminals, Spectre grew into a global criminal and terrorist organisation. It is led by villain Ernest Blofeld who made appearances in Bond movies; You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Story

Bond embarks on a rogue mission to Mexico City and Rome after receiving a cryptic message. During his travels, the spy meets Lucia (Bellucci), the forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. After spying on a secret meeting, Bond discovers the Spectre organisation but is also encountering problems at home in London. Max Denbigh, played by Andrew Scott, is the new head of the centre of national security and begins to question the relevance of MI6. As Bond grows closer to taking down Spectre, he learns that he and his enemy share something in common.

Villains

Putting an end to Spectre will not be an easy ride for Bond as he will come up against arch-nemesis Franz Oberhauser, a key figure in the organisation. The spy will also have to fend off Mr White, a fugitive from MI6 who is also the father of Madeleine Swann, a psychologist working in the Austrian Alps.

Soundtrack

Sam Smith leads the soundtrack for Spectre with his theme tune Writing's On The Wall. The ballad has proved to be a hit with fans who sent the track to number one on the UK charts earlier in October 2015 after shifting more than 70,000 copies and streams combined in its first week of release.

Where can I live-stream the premiere?

Fans who are unable to make it down to the London premiere of Spectre at the Royal Albert Hall, will be able to live-stream the action on YouTube from 5pm (GMT).

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