Finally it has been confirmed that Ben Whishaw is playing Q in the forthcoming James Bond film, Skyfall. The announcement was made by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who said in a joint statement:
It’s a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in SKYFALL played by the enormously talented, Ben Whishaw. We are delighted to have this beloved character back in the series.
Whishaw is the fourth actor to play the role, after Peter Burton (as Major Boothroyd in Dr No), Desmond Llewelyn, who for many people is irreplaceable in the role after playing Q 17 times between 1963 and1999), and John Cleese in Die Another Day.
August 1st, 2012 at 12:06
I’ll reserve judgement till I’ve seen the film, not least because I’ve seen Ben Whishaw in other stuff and he’s usually been quite good, but my gut reaction is “too young”. In any case, Q, like Dr Who, seems to have become another character once perfectly suited to over-50 actors which has fallen prey to the cult of youth.
August 1st, 2012 at 12:22
I know what you mean about Q – it has also applied to the villains for years now, they are Bond’s age rather than being an anti-M.