A movie version of the hit ’70s TV series Kojak, which starred Telly Savalas as the iconic bald cop, is in development at Universal Pictures, with Vin Diesel attached to star in the lead.

The project is moving forward, with word that Universal has hired screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to adapt the series into a feature film, re-imagining it for modern times.

At a press conference this morning, which happened to fall on the 50th anniversary of the day when Sean Connery was announced as the first actor play Ian Fleming’s iconic superspy James Bond on the silver screen in Dr. No, it was finally announced to the world the name of the next installment in the James Bond franchise: Skyfall.

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of the Bond movie series, made the announcement at today’s press conference in London, which you can watch all 29 minutes video of here below. You can also check out the film’s shiny logo (which looks like an ad for a brand of vodka) and a brief plot synopsis.

At one point in time, things were so dire with MGM that many worried if both Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and the next installment in the James Bond franchise — two of the biggest movies on the horizon — would ever even get made.

While The Hobbit has mostly kept its head above water, back in April it was reported that the latest James Bond, currently known only as Bond 23, would be put on hold indefinitely. This also branched out to the likelihood that popular star Daniel Craig might not ever play the role again.

But lately, MGM has been finding ways to figure things out, and many other studios have been coming to them to help get these anticipated movies made. Warner Brothers has stepped up big time, swallowing almost all of the Hobbit financial needs, and now MGM is confident enough to give Mr. Bond an official release date.

When it comes to the James Bond franchise, everything is pretty much fair game in terms of cast and crew. Approaching the 23rd film in the series, anyone can direct a chapter and there’s absolutely no issues with recasting the role of James Bond himself after an actor has contributed to a few of the flicks. Since Daniel Craig took over the famed title in 2006’s Casino Royale, Bond has reached a whole new level of quality and entertainment. Martin Campbell directed that chapter, which was followed up with Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace, and now we know who will handle the duties for Bond 23: Sam Mendes.

Much like Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland), Mendes is not a director who plays in the realms of action movies very often. His best work to date is the Best Picture winning American Beauty, which he has followed up with many loved and respected films such as Road to Perdition, Jarhead, and Revolutionary Road.