Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Karen Ballard/Sony PicturesWhy on earth is Daniel Craig rumored to be the new face of Indian Railways?
Is Adele following in Madonna and Paul McCartney's 007 footsteps and recording the theme song for the next James Bond film?
And who's the sexpot said to be the latest new Bond Girl front-runner?
It's that time again—we do some digging to give you five more things to know about the next Bond flick, aka Bond 23...
1. Superspy May Be Rolling in the Deep: British songbird Adele may have accidentally let it slip that she's recording the next James Bond theme song. In an interview this weekend with British talk-show host Jonathan Ross, the Grammy winner said she was going back into the studio in November—but not for a new album. "This is actually a theme...Wow, that's really giving something away," she said. Ross pressed, "A theme?" before humming a few bars of the signature Bond music. Adele laughed, "It's a concept...It's one song."
2. Girl, Undecided: While we know Craig's real-life leading lady is new wife Rachel Weisz, his Bond Girl is still unknown. Earlier this summer, bets seemed to be on Pirates of the Caribbean and 28 Days Later actress Naomie Harris. However, British tabloid the Daily Star reports that Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood's 29-year-old Brazilian model girlfriend Ana Araujo is close to landing the coveted role.
3. What's In a Name? Craig's first Bond film was called Casino Royale, the second was Quantum of Solace and the third may be Carte Blanche. In one of the more obscure sourcings of a Bond rumor, a Serbian cellist who has apparently been hired to write the opening score of Bond 23 reportedly referred to the flick in a recent interview as Carte Blanche. That happens to be the name of the James Bond novel by Jeffery Deaver. But producers apparently shot down the rumor with a statement reading, "The new film is not going to be called Carte Blanche and will have nothing to do with the Jeffery Deaver book."
4. All Aboard! Director Sam Mendes is said to have picked India as the shooting location for a train-based action sequence. While it's unclear where the filming will take place, producers have reportedly agreed not to include a fight scene on top of a train because riding on train rooftops is illegal in the country. "We didn't want the global community to have an unrealistic picture of the Indian Railways," India's railway minister Dinesh Trivedi told the Wall Street Journal.
5. And That Brings Us to Craig's Next Gig: Trivedi also told the Journal that, in return for permission to shoot on India's trains and tracks, the actor has agreed to be the official ambassador of Indian Railways. Or maybe not. Craig's rep tells us, "There is no truth to this."
A rep for Sony Pictures Entertainment declined to comment for this story. But remember, Mendes isn't expected to start shooting Bond 23 until November. In other words, expect more rumors and reports to shaken (and stir) things up many times before then.