The new James Bond movie is due to start filming later this year, it has been officially announced.

EON Productions confirmed that the next instalment of the long-running spy franchise will go ahead, after doubt was previously cast over the future of the series.

A statement read: "Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, co-chairmen and chief executive officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc, today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012."

A rescue deal and restructuring plan put US firm Spyglass Entertainment at the helm of MGM, which had struggled due to several box office flops and a DVD sales slump.

Work on the 23rd film was suspended in April 2010 because of uncertainty over the company's future.

James Bond is one of the longest running franchises in film history.

Its return marks a four-year gap since Bond's last outing in 2008's Quantum of Solace.

Daniel Craig - who made his Bond debut in Casino Royale in 2006 - is the sixth actor to play the British secret agent on the big screen, after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

Craig's debut, in Casino Royale, was the most successful instalment in the franchise's 48-year history, taking $594m (£385m) at the global box office.

The latest Bond screenplay has been written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.

Source: Press Release