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‘Spectre’ Is James Bond’s Origin Story, Sam Mendes Reveals

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 09:02 PST, Aug 14, 2015

The James Bond series is finally getting the origin story it never had, according to director Sam Mendes, who asserts that his upcoming Spectre is set to answer some key questions regarding the famed spy.

James Bond burst onto the screen fully formed in 1963’s Dr. No, able-bodied and adept as a secret agent. Yet over the course of the intervening films, the origins of the world’s most famous secret agent have hardly been explored. Die-hard fans know that Bond’s parents were killed in a climbing accident in France, a life-changing event that influenced his future in the secret service. They also know that he joined the military prior to being enlisted in MI6 (hence his rank as a commander), but as Screencrush points out, that’s about all that has been revealed regarding James Bond’s past (canonically speaking).

According to Mendes, Spectre is about to right this great cinematic wrong, finally answering one question for moviegoers: Who is James Bond?

“The Bond creation myth never happened. I felt there was an opportunity there: What made him? And who were the people who affected him along the way? You’re sort of telling the story backwards of how Bond became Bond.”

Spectre is set to pit James Bond against the shadowy villain Oberhauser, who many fans have speculated is a new incarnation of classic 007 baddie Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Oberhauser has some undefined connection to Bond’s past, describing himself to the secret agent in the most recent Spectre trailer as “the author of all your pain.” As the Inquisitr previously reported, it has been evident from the very first footage that Oberhauser is connected to Bond’s past in a way that agent 007 himself might not understand.

In addition to examining Bond’s past, Spectre is intended to be a kind of culmination of the previous films featuring Daniel Craig, EW reports, helping to set the stage for the future of the franchise. Fans have speculated that Spectre is just the second act in a dedicated trilogy that began with Skyfall, intended to place the series on a solid “Bond 2.0” foundation going forward. According to Daniel Craig, however, his hopes for Spectre are that it stands up, even independent of its status as an installment in the James Bond franchise.

“A lot of the film is a celebration of what it is to be Bond. But it’s not retro. Hopefully it’s not just classic Bond but a classic thriller.”

Spectre brings James Bond, and his mysterious past, back to the screen on November 6.

[Photo by Jan Hetfleisch / Getty Images]

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