James Bond: What to expect from Bond 25 announcement

The cast of the 25th official James Bond film is expected to be revealed at its launch on Thursday, along with more key details about the movie.

The event will be held at "one of 007's most iconic locations" and will be streamed on social media at 13:10 BST.

If it follows the pattern of previous launches, the title of the film will be revealed as well as the identities of the main cast members.

We know Daniel Craig will return as 007 and the release is set for April 2020.

The making of any Bond film is always the source of intense interest from the media and fans. Here's a rundown of what we know so far, and what we are likely to learn.

There have been months of speculation over what the new film will be called.

In March, Barbara Broccoli personally ruled out one suggestion - Shatterhand - after being asked to autograph a fan-created title treatment.

Some now believe the film's working title is Eclipse, after a crew member used the name on her profile on a jobs website.

The title is not going to be part of the announcement on Thursday, however, so we'll have to wait a little longer to find out for sure.

Daniel Craig has already confirmed the film will mark his final outing as Ian Fleming's suave secret agent.

Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw are expected to return as M and Q respectively, with Naomie Harris coming back as Moneypenny. Lea Seydoux is believed to be reprising her Madeleine Swann character from 2015's Spectre.

Recent Oscar winner Rami Malek is widely believed to be among the new cast additions, in what is thought to be a villainous role.

There is also potential for Christoph Waltz to return as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the iconic villain who was resurrected in the last Bond outing.

The film is being directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose credits include the first series of HBO's True Detective and Netflix drama Maniac.

He is the first American to direct an official entry in the Bond series. (Never Say Never Again, from 1983, also had an American at the helm, but is not considered an official instalment.)

Fukunaga came on board last year after Danny Boyle left the project over unspecified "creative differences".

Boyle has since described the situation as "a great shame", saying what he and writer John Hodge had been working on had been "really good".

With Hodge exiting the project at the same time as Boyle, we could get confirmation of whether writing duties have reverted to seasoned Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

The pair have had writing credits on every instalment since 1999's The World is Not Enough.

It has been also reported that frequent Steven Soderbergh collaborator Scott Z Burns, whose credits include 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, has had a hand in the script.

Rumours have also been swirling that Fleabag creator and Killing Eve writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been brought in, reportedly at the request of Daniel Craig, to "liven up" the script.

There is no word yet on who will follow in the footsteps of Adele and Sam Smith, who won Oscars for their respective contributions to Skyfall and Spectre.

Dua Lipa, the voice behind such UK chart-toppers as One Kiss and New Rules, has been linked to the gig. Last year, Lipa said she hadn't been approached but would "love to do it".

However, details of the theme tune are not normally announced at this stage.

It's been reported that Daniel Craig will drive an Aston Martin Rapide E, an electric car that retails at £250,000.

According to The Sun, the makers of the film "felt the time was right to put Bond in a zero-emission vehicle".

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].