The new James Bond movie, Spectre, could be the longest in the history of the popular spy saga, according to UK cinema websites.
While neither MGM and Sony studios nor the British Board of Film Classification have yet released an official running time for Sam Mendes’s second turn in the 007 director’s chair, Vue lists the film as 160 minutes long, while Empire Cinemas says it is 155 minutes, excluding trailers and adverts.
The previous longest James Bond movie was 2006’s Casino Royale at 144 minutes, according to the BBFC. Next longest are 2012’s Skyfall, at just under 143 minutes, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, at 136 minutes, though IMDb lists George Lazenby’s only turn as 007 at 142 minutes. Generally, the Bond films have got longer over time, with 1962’s series opener Dr No running just 105 minutes and few of the early Sean Connery efforts breaking two hours. One exception is 2008’s poorly reviewed Quantum of Solace, billed as a sequel to Daniel Craig’s debut in Casino Royale, at just 106 minutes long.
Spectre stars Craig in his fourth outing as Bond. Double Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz plays villain Franz Oberhauser, and the cast features newcomers Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman, as well as the returning Ralph Fiennes (as the new M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and Ben Whishaw (Q).
Sam Smith announced last week that he will sing the Bond theme for Spectre, titled Writing’s on the Wall. Mendes’s film, released on 26 October in the UK and 6 November in the US, sees 007 visiting Mexico City, Rome and Sölden in the Austrian Alps.
