24th James Bond Movie To Start Filming In December; Daniel Craig To Reprise Titular Hero; Chiwetel Ejiofor Rumored To Play The Film's Villain; Penelope Cruz Rumored To Portray Bond Girl

The 24th installment of the James Bond film series will begin shooting on Dec. 6, with the main cast members meeting for a table read that date at Pinewood Studios, Variety reported.

Daniel Craig will reprise his role as the iconic British spy for his fourth Bond movie. Ralph Fiennes will also return as M as well as Naomie Harris as MI6 field agent-turned-secretary Eve Moneypenny; Rory Kinnear as MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner; and Ben Wishaw as the MI6 quartermaster Q, according to Yahoo! Movies.

"Skyfall" director Sam Mendes will also direct the yet-to-be titled film, which is for now referenced as "Bond 24." Mendes will helm the flick from a script penned by John Logan that was rewritten by the team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The writers collaborated on "Skyfall."

Casting and plot details are being kept under wraps, but Chiwetel Ejiofor was rumored to play the film's villain, according to Variety.

Producers have also reportedly screen tested multiple Scandinavian actresses for the iconic "Bond Girls." These actresses include Norwegian star Synnove Macody Lund and Swedish dancer Isabel Edvardsson, according to Bond news website MI6.

Penelope Cruz was also rumored to play one of the "Bond Girls," MTV UK reported.

As for filming locations, the production team has reportedly scouted locations in Rome, the Austrian Alps, Morocco and India.

Adele is also reportedly being wooed to record a song for the film's soundtrack, while Sam Smith was rumored to sing the main theme - a speculation that he recently denied,  according to MTV UK.

"Skyfall," which was released in 2012, grossed $304.4 million in the US and $804.2 million in international markets, according to Box Office Mojo.

MGM, Sony and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced last summer that "Bond 24" is slated to be released in the US for Nov. 6, 2015.