 |
| |
English actor Ben Whishaw is confirmed to be playing
'Q' in "Skyfall", the youngest actor to
take on the part...
|
|
Ben Whishaw Is Q
25th November 2011
English actor Ben Whishaw will play 'Q' in the
new James Bond film "Skyfall",
his agent confirmed today. He was first rumoured to be joining
the cast back in April
this year, and director Sam Mendes announced his casting at the "Skyfall" press
conference earlier this month but would not comment on his
role.
|
Above: Ben Whishaw in the BBC period
drama "The Hour". His character was a fan of Ian Fleming's
James Bond novels.
|
|
Whishaw will be re-introducing the character
to the series, after his absence since the 2006 reboot
with "Casino
Royale".
The role was first played by Peter Burton
as 'Quartermaster' in the debut film, "Dr
No" (1962)
at the age of 41. When Burton was unavailable for "From
Russia With Love", Welsh actor Desmond
Llewelyn (then 48) took over
and continued in the part for record 17 films, only missing "Live
And Let Die" (1973)
until his final outing "The
World Is Not Enough" in
1999. Llewelyn died in a car accident shortly after the
film's release at the age of 85.
Although Llewelyn's
character was named Major Geoffrey Boothroyd (from the
Ian Fleming novels), the title of 'Q' was passed on to
his assistant played
by John
Cleese (age 63) in the 2002
outing "Die Another
Day". Given Whishaw's is
only 31, it is unlikely that his 'Q' will be a Major,
so this will be a new character, much like when a new
actor takes on 'M'.
With today's fast-paced digital technology,
it is perhaps more realistic to have a younger person in
the fictional
role of 'Q', as MI6 would be creating stealthy smartphone
apps and concealed communication devices rather than hiding
tear gas canisters in attache cases. |
There are a couple of interesting connections
to Whishaw joining the Bond franchise. Most recently, Whishaw
starred in the BBC's period drama "The Hour", where
his journalist character Freddie Lyon is a fan of Ian Fleming's
novels and makes frequent references to Bond, including calling
his female colleague Miss Moneypenny. Back in 2004, he starred
in "Layer Cake', the film that brought Daniel Craig to the
top of the producer's wish list for the next 007. The film ends
with his character, Sidney, shooting XXXX (Craig).
Whishaw's other credits in recent years include
the Rolling Stones biopic "Stoned" (2005), Bob Dylan
flick "I'm Not
There" (2007), "The International" (2009) with
Clive Owen, and "The Tempest" (2010) with Dame Helen
Mirren. As well as "Skyfall", Whishaw is currently
filming "Cloud
Atlas" to Tom Hanks. He will be next seen in the TV movie
adaptation of Shakespeare's "Richard II" where he plays
the title role.
Briefing
The 23rd James Bond
film, "Skyfall", commenced principal studio photography on 7th November
2011 for a UK
release on October 26th, 2012 and the USA on November
9, 2012. MGM will produce, finance and distribute 007's
23rd adventure in
partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Daniel Craig will
be returning as the legendary British secret agent, alongside Judi
Dench as "M", with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal
Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. The cast will also include Bérénice Marlohe,
Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Wishaw.
The film will shoot at Pinewood Studios and on location in London, England;
Scotland; Shanghai, China and Istanbul, Turkey.
It will be the longest gap between Bond movies without
a change in the lead role. In addition, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of
the EON Productions series of James
Bond films.
