Yesterday we posted a story saying that the producers of the James Bond franchise have officially put the next installment on hold until the MGM sale is completed. While this news didn't really come as a shock, nobody expected news about the film until production started up again. Prepare to be surprised.

Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes has officially been tapped to direct the 23rd James Bond film, according to THR. Even stranger is the fact that the article states that the film has now been fast-tracked, with production starting up in June and a 2011 release expected, which totally undermines everything that was reported yesterday. No business like show business, huh?

It goes without saying that this is a bit of a genre change for Mendes. His closest attempt at an action film was the war film Jarhead, which was really more about the absence of war than anything, and his last two films weren't exactly about tuxedos and silenced pistols. With those details out of the way, Mendes is a more than capable director and will hopefully be able to flex his muscles with some fast-paced chases and cool gadgets the same way he does with suburban dysfunction.