Unofficially, it's known as Bond 25, but the latest film in the James Bond series seems to have picked up a new working title: Shatterhand.
With shooting due to start at Britain's Pinewood studios on April 6, industry publication Production Weekly included a listing in its February 21 newsletter for "Bond 25 w/t Shatterhand", The Guardian reports.
The name is derived from an alias used by Bond's old nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Ian Fleming's 1964 novel You Only Live Twice.
A series of issues
The news comes days after it was announced the film's release date would be postponed by another two months, until April 2020, due to extensive script rewrites.
Bourne Ultimatum writer Scott Z Burns has been hired to rewrite the screenplay for Daniel Craig's fifth (and supposedly last) appearance as 007, according to the Playlist.
The film was originally set to be released in autumn 2019, then pushed to February 2020, and now April 8.
Other snags to hit production dates include director Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation) replacing Danny Boyle in September 2018, after the Trainspotting director dropped out due to "creative differences" with the team and Craig.
Past Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, as well as Paul Haggis, who worked as a scriptwriter on Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, have all worked on this instalment's script, too.
Should 'Shatterhand' be the final title?
It's just a working title, but already the public's reaction shows it should probably not make it to the big screen, as jokes on Twitter abound:
Sitting in a quiet library trying to look adult and studious while literally crying with suppressed laughter over Shatterhand.
— Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) February 22, 2019
Shatterhand- he’s the man, the man with the hand that shatters- he’s not really much of an adversary thinking about it. This will be a short film. But the bit where his hand shatters is awesome.
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) February 22, 2019
WAIT. Shatterhand is a serious title contender for Bond 25? Like, not a production title or just an internet lol? Oh boy oh boy oh boy I'm going to enjoy it so much more than I expected. Snigger.
— Helen O'Hara (@HelenLOHara) February 22, 2019
What the heck will Dua Lipa get to rhyme with Shatterhand?
— 📻 Colin Paterson 📺 (@ColinGPaterson) February 22, 2019
“One man band”
“Stuck in the quicksand”
“Coming in to land” https://t.co/ryTavh9OIX