The return of Q in Bond

MANILA, Philippines -Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond adventure, confirmed today that the character of Q will be making a welcome return to the Bond franchise and the role will be played by Ben Whishaw.

Whishaw becomes the fourth actor to play Bond’s quartermaster affectionately known as Q. The role began with Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd in Dr. No, followed by Desmond Llewelyn (in 17 Bond films between 1963 to 1999), and John Cleese (who appeared as Q’s assistant, R, in The World is Not Enough and was later promoted to Q in Die Another Day).

Wilson and Broccoli commented, “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.”

Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in Skyfall. In the film, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The film is from Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and John Logan.

Whishaw will be seen later this year in Cloud Atlas alongside an all-star cast including Tom Hanks, Jim Sturgess and Halle Berry, and in the BBC’s Richard II. He will also be seen in the second series of The Hour for the BBC, in which he stars opposite Dominic West and Romola Garai. His films include roles in Bright Star, The Tempest, Brideshead Revisited, I’m Not There, Stoned, Layer Cake, Enduring Love, The Trench, Mauvaise Passé, and the lead roles in My Brother Tom and Perfume opposite Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman. For TV, he also starred in the hugely-popular BBC drama Criminal Justice, which saw him pick up the award for Best Actor at the 2009 Royal Television Society Awards and at the International Emmy Awards 2009.

Opening across the Philippines in October, Skyfall is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.