Trailer Talk: Bond is Back in 'Skyfall,' but Who's the New Blond?

It would have been awful if 007 had been defeated not by Jaws or Oddjob but by creditors.

The bankruptcy woes surrounding MGM have kept James Bond on ice, neither shaken nor stirred, since 2008’s lackluster “Quantum of Solace.”

Now, Bond is officially back with the newest trailer for “Skyfall,” dropping into theaters come November. But who’s that blond by his side?

The trailer finds Bond (Daniel Craig in his third franchise appearance) left for dead but still very much alive, thank you. There’s a new villain in town, played by a blond Javier Bardem, and Bond’s fellow agents appear to be targeted for extermination.

We also get a shirtless Craig – hey ladies, it’s OK if your fella drags you to a new Bond movie – and a peek at the new, young Q (Ben Whishaw).

Just don’t think the franchise is heading back to the Gadgets-R-Us era highlighted by Roger Moore’s cheeky Bond. With Craig as the Bond standard bearer, the focus remains on a gritty, determined spy willing to do whatever it takes to save the day.

The stunt work on display looks impressive, as do the sweeping wide shots that epitomize the franchise’s most explosive installments.

The real warning sign comes via Bardem’s golden locks, which are too reminiscent of Max Zorin, the villain played by Christopher Walken in “A View to a Kill.” That movie ended Moore’s Bond days in dispiriting fashion- even the Duran Duran theme song lacked snap.

“Skyfall,” which hits theaters Nov. 9, does feature a stellar cast including series regular Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Naomi Harris.

Follow Christian Toto on Twitter @TotoMovies