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The title of the 23rd James Bond film has been confirmed as Skyfall.

The latest 007 adventure will star Daniel Craig for the third time. Leading ladies have been confirmed as French actress Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris.

Skyfall is being directed by Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for 1999's American Beauty.

Mendes said the storyline will take the secret agent to London, China, Turkey and Scotland.

It will see Bond's loyalty tested to M, his superior, while espionage headquarters MI6 faces an attack.

The movie, which sees the return of Dame Judi Dench as spy boss M, will also star Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Javier Bardem as the villain of the piece.

It will be released in the UK on 26 October 2012.

Craig told reporters in London that the cast would start filming sequences for the new movie later on Thursday.

Much speculation about the new film has focused on what Mendes will bring to the franchise, with some suggesting he will tone down - or even abandon altogether - the action sequences.

But the director denied that this was the case. He told reporters in London that the "fantastic script" had "all the elements of a classic Bond movie, including - to quell any rumours - lots of action".

When asked what fans could expect from the latest film, he added: "The movie will reveal everything, and there's lots of surprises."

Producer Barbara Broccoli said no-one had yet been chosen to write and perform the Bond theme tune.

Financial troubles

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie, 1962's Dr No.

James Bond is one of the longest-running franchises in film history, but Bond 23 will mark the end of a four year gap.

The last 007 outing was in 2008's Quantum of Solace, directed by Marc Forster.

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

The franchise had been on hold amid financial troubles, with MGM filing for bankruptcy protection last November.

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.

Craig - who made his Bond debut in Casino Royale in 2006 - is the sixth actor to play the British secret agent in the official Bond series.

Sir Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan preceded him in the iconic role.

Casino Royale, was the most successful instalment in the franchise's 49-year history, making $594m (£385m) worldwide.