New Bond Movie 'Spectre' To Bring Back Quantum Agent Mr. White

2012's Skyfall made it easy to forget Quantum of Solace ever existed. Not only did it blow the previous installment out of the water, it made nary a reference to the plotline from the last film. That was just fine with some James Bond fans, who regarded Quantum of Solace as a low point in the franchise.

But Spectre, it seems, may be bringing those memories back. Jesper Christensen, who played Quantum agent Mr. White in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, has revealed he'll return for the next Bond movie. Hit the jump for more on the Spectre Quantum connection. 

Christensen revealed his involvement to Euroman (via Empire). "I am looking forward to working with Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig. It is a truly exciting script and a very capable team. So it'll be fun," he said.

For those who need a refresher, Christensen's Mr. White was the liaison for the mysterious criminal organization Quantum. He makes his first appearance in Casino Royale, where he is eventually captured by Bond, and resurfaces in Quantum of Solace, where he escapes Bond's clutches. The character did not figure into Skyfall.

The 24th Bond film, Spectre, is named after the organization SPECTRE. (The name stands for "SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.") The group, led by iconic Bond villain Blofeld, first appeared in Ian Fleming's novels and played a prominent role in the Sean Connery-era Bond films.

A rights dispute kept SPECTRE out of the Bond franchise for several decades but the issue was finally settled last year, freeing the current Bond filmmakers to use SPECTRE and Blofeld. That, however, puts Quantum in a weird position, since it was essentially designed as a SPECTRE replacement.

Christensen's casting indicates the next Bond film will address Quantum in some way, but at this point we don't know how. Will the organizations be rivals or allies? Might the film attempt to consolidate them in some way? In any case, it's hard to imagine the little-loved Quantum beating out the popular SPECTRE to become Bond's main enemy. If we were betting types, we'd guess this is the end of the line for Mr. White and his shadowy colleagues.

The decision to bring back Quantum makes narrative sense, since that was a major plot thread left dangling at the end of Quantum of Solace. No doubt some fans would cry foul if another evil organization were introduced into the continuity without any mention of what happened to the last evil organization.

But it's bad news for those who would have preferred to pretend Quantum of Solace never happened. I have to confess, I'm among that lot. Fingers crossed the next movie dispatches with Quantum as efficiently as Bond eliminates unnamed henchmen.

Spectre opens November 6, 2015.