Spectre is a 2015 British spy movie, the 24th in the James Bond film series, produced by Eon Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures. It’s Daniel Craig’s fourth performance as James Bond, and the second movie in the series directed by Sam Mendes following Skyfall. Take a look below for 30 more interesting and fascinating facts about Spectre.

1. Spectre was written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth.

2. The story sees James Bond pitted against the global criminal organization Spectre and their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Bond attempts to stop Blofeld’s plan to launch a global surveillance network, and discovers that Spectre and Blofeld were behind the events of the previous three movies.

3. The action scenes prioritized practical effects and stunts, while employing computer-generated imagery made by five different companies.

4. Spectre was estimated to have cost around $245 million, making it the most expensive James Bond movie and one of the most expensive movies ever made.

5. The theme song, “Writing’s on the Wall,” performed and co-written by Sam Smith, won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

6. Spectre grossed over $880 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest grossing movie of 2015, the second largest unadjusted total for the series after Skyfall.

7. Spectre is the first Bond movie not to feature the iconic trumpet playing of Derek Watkins. Since Dr. No, Watkins had featured on the soundtrack of every single Bond movie until his death shortly after the release of Skyfall.

8. Gary Oldman was approached for the role of Franz Oberhauser, but he was unwilling to commit to six months production worldwide. In the end, the part was cast with Christoph Waltz.

9. James Bond’s new car in the movie is an Aston Martin DB10. The CEO of Aston Martin tweeted that it is, “strictly created for James Bond, and strictly limited to ten cars only. It is the most exclusive car of the DB series ever.”

10. When out in the Moroccan desert, the production had to make sure that everyone within a 20 mile radius knew to expect loud explosions, so the locations department drove out to speak to nomad tribes and village folk. In fact, local nomads were hired as guides and security throughout the explosions preparation and filming.

11. In December 2014, 9 high-end Land Rover Discoverys, including 5 customized Ranger Rover Sports, valued at about $1 million, set for filming in the Austrian Alps, were stolen from a parking lot in Neuss.

12. Before her audition, Lea Seydoux said that she drank some alcohol, forgot some of her lines, and basically botched up her reading. Seydoux asked if she could come back another day, which the filmmakers allowed, and was, in the end, successful in landing the lead Bond Girl role of Dr. Madeleine Swann.

13. Reportedly, Daniel Craig’s salary for Spectre was $39 million, allegedly making Craig the highest paid actor to portray James Bond.

14. At one point, the story outline was a well-guarded secret, the contents known only to Daniel Craig, Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and a few other selected personnel at EON Productions.

15. Spectre was the first Bond movie to be shot with anamorphic lenses since Die Another Day. Also, the movie was San Mendes’ first experience shooting with the format.

16. About 1,500 people were hired as extras for the pre-opening titles sequence in Mexico, which included the Day of the Dead festival. CGI effects meant that the number would be able to be multiplied to represent an estimated crowd scene, totaling about 10,000 people.

17. Sam Mendes originally declined working on another James Bond movie, first around the time that Skyfall launched, and against in March, 2013. Reportedly, the production of the movie was delayed a year to get Mendes back, as he couldn’t do the movie earlier, due to theater commitments.

18. Spectre is the first James Bond movie for Daniel Craig, where he received billing as a producer, credited for the producing duties of being a “co-Producer.”

19. Reportedly, Dave Bautista had publicly declared himself to be a big James Bond fan several years prior to him being cast as henchman Mr. Hinx in Spectre.

20. Spectre is the first James Bond movie where Daniel Craig isn’t seen shirtless during the movie except for the opening credits sequence.

21. According to the TV Tropes website, the Mexican government allegedly gave some money to Sony Pictures, “so that the movie didn’t portray Mexico in a negative way. Allegedly, they wanted to suppress any mentions about Mexican gangsters, a subplot about assassinating a top ranking Mexican official, and to only show on-camera the nice and prosperous side of the country.”

22. Daniel Craig confessed in publicity interviews that Spectre was the most enjoyable of all James Bond movies that he’d worked on.

23. Daniel Craig was injured at least twice during principal photography. He suffered a knee injury when filming in Austria, then hit his head on the interior of an Aston Martin DB10.

24. Radiohead had recorded a theme song specifically for the soundtrack of the movie, but the producers opted for Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” in the end.

25. Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci didn’t believe that they would be successful in getting their Bond Girl roles in the movie, for the latter, predominantly because of her age. Also, when Bellucci was first approached about appearing in the movie, she thought that it was for her to play a new “M” character to replace Dame Judi Dench.

26. The cost of the Aston Martin vehicles that were crashed and blown-up in the movie amounted to approximately $36.7 million.

27. The opening title sequence to Spectre was set up as an homage of Live and Let Die, as this was the first Bond movie seen by Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes.

28. James Bond wearing a top hat and a skull mask at the beginning of the movie is a nod to Baron Samedi, Mr. Big’s henchman in Live and Let Die.

29. Spectre is the second movie in the official James Bond movie franchise to feature a car chase involving a Jaguar and Aston Martin vehicles. The first movie was Die Another Day.

30. Christoph Waltz has stated in an interview that he was a James Bond fan when he was younger, and even owned a Corgi Aston Martin DB5, as did Sam Mendes.