Claim: Daniel Craig took the role of Bond.

Spectre is the 24th instalment in the James Bond film series produced by Eon Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures . It is Daniel Craig 's fourth performance as James Bond , and the second film in the series directed by Sam Mendes following Skyfall , with a screenplay written by John Logan , Neal Purvis , Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth .   The story sees Bond pitted against the global criminal organisation Spectre and their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Bond attempts to thwart Blofeld 's plan to launch a global surveillance network , and discovers Spectre and Blofeld were behind the events of the previous three films . The film marks Spectre and Blofeld 's first appearance in an Eon Productions film since 1971 's Diamonds Are Forever with Christoph Waltz playing the organisation 's leader . Several recurring James Bond characters , including M , Q and Eve Moneypenny return , with the new additions of Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann , Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx , Andrew Scott as Max Denbigh and Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra .   Spectre was filmed from December 2014 to July 2015 , with locations in Austria , the United Kingdom , Italy , Morocco and Mexico . The action scenes prioritised practical effects and stunts , while still employing computer-generated imagery made by five different companies . Spectre was estimated to have cost around $ 245 million , making it the most expensive Bond film and one of the most expensive films ever made .   The film was released on 26 October 2015 in the United Kingdom on the same night as the world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London , followed by a worldwide release which included IMAX screenings . It was released in the United States one week later , on 6 November . Upon its release , the film received favourable reviews from critics . Its acting , suspense and action sequences were praised , and both Waltz and Bautista received widespread acclaim for their performances as Blofeld and Hinx , respectively ; the theme song and screenplay were considered lacking . The theme song , `` Writing 's on the Wall '' , performed by the British singer Sam Smith won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the corresponding Golden Globe . Spectre grossed over a total of $ 880 million worldwide , the second largest unadjusted income for the series after its predecessor Skyfall .