Lea Seydoux (L) and Monica Bellucci pose with Craig at the ceremony.

“Spectre” will be the title of the 24th official James Bond film, its makers have announced. Director Sam Mendes revealed the title at a launch event at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire where principal photography is due to begin on Monday.

Daniel Craig will play 007 for the fourth time in the film, to be released in the UK on October 23. Other cast members were also announced at Thursday's event, including Andrew Scott and Dave Bautista. Italian actress Monica Bellucci and France's Lea Seydoux have been unveiled as the new 'Bond girls', named Lucia Sciarra and Madeleine Swann respectively.

As previously reported, double Oscar winner Christoph Waltz will have a role in the film, playing a character called Oberhauser. The name of the character is the same as that of Bond's former ski instructor, though it has been rumoured Waltz will really be playing Bond's old nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Spectre - Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion - was the name of an international crime syndicate whose 'Number One' was Blofeld himself.

The organisation featured in the Bond films of the 1960s and was part of a legal tussle with a rival film producer that was recently resolved after many years.

Thursday's event also saw the unveiling of the Aston Martin DB10 which Bond will be driving in his latest screen adventure. The car manufacturer had had a long association with the James Bond series, starting with “Goldfinger” in 1964.

Returning cast members Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q) and Rory Kinnear (Tanner) were also presented before the world's media, alongside Craig himself.

Craig, 46, first played Ian Fleming's legendary secret agent in 2006's “Casino Royale”, then in 2008's “Quantum of Solace” and 2012's “Skyfall”.

“We've got an amazing cast and, I think, a better script than we had last time,” Craig told the BBC. But he refused to confirm Waltz would be playing Blofeld in the film, saying people would have to “wait and see.”

According to the film studio, the plot will see "a cryptic message from Bond's past send him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation.

“Skyfall” was the highest grossing film of all time in the UK and made more than $1.1bn at the worldwide box office. The film also picked up two Oscars: one for singer Adele's title track, and another for sound editing.

Source: BBC