The role of gadget master to British super-spy James Bond is one that Desmond Llewellyn immortalized in 17 films, with his fatherly admonishing and “tsk tsk” attitude. But unfortunately the great actor passed away in 1999, and the mantle was passed onto veteran British comedian John Cleese, who did an affable job for the last few Pierce Brosnan films.
But when the Bond franchise was relaunched with Casino Royale, there was a serious absence of Q. Now, two films later, the gadget master is finally making an appearance. Except, just like with almost everything about this new version of Bond, this may not be the Q you would expect.
Yes, indeed. That young whipper-snapper up there, 32-year old British actor Ben Wishaw, is the new Q. Now I will admit that my knee-jerk reaction to this picture is an eyebrow raised so high that it’s threatening to fall off the back of my head, but young Mr Wishaw is actually a fairly talented award winning actor. He may not be very well known to international audiences though, as he’s been mainly confined to English stage, TV and film productions, though some of you may recognize him as one of Bob Dylan’s incarnations in 2007 biopic, I’m Not There. He also previously played opposite Daniel Craig in Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake.
So yes, he definitely has some acting chops. My only problem is that with him as young as he is, that father-son relationship between Bond and Q that I’ve always loved so much will no longer be there. But I guess this is the price of progress, as this Bond adapts with the times.
Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli certainly seem impressed enough with the choice and had this to say:
“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.”
So what do you guys think of the new Q? Pretty much everything else I’ve seen from director Sam Mendes’ Skyfall thus far has impressed me, so I’m willing to give him a fair chance.
Last Updated: July 13, 2012
James Francis
July 13, 2012 at 09:06
No big deal. The Q character also rarely features in any of the books – he only appeared as a homage to Geoffrey Boothroyd, the Bond fan who educated Fleming on weapons. This is why the armourer in the later Bond books is called Major Boothroyd.
The Bond franchise has always been this malleable. ‘Shake, not stirred’ is also a movie-ism, though the Vesper drink was indeed from the book.
Lourens Corleone
July 13, 2012 at 09:19
I actually think that works fine. We don’t really know how they are going to go with the character, there is still loads of potential for an interesting dynamic between the two.
Erwin Kempff
July 13, 2012 at 09:48
Kinda looks like the dude that played Scarecrow in the recent Batman films from that angle, doesn’t he?
Tracy Benson
July 13, 2012 at 10:04
Cillian Murphy.
Erwin Kempff
July 13, 2012 at 10:12
Thanks.
Or is it just me seeing the resemblance?
Tracy Benson
July 13, 2012 at 11:38
I think he looks more like a younger Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock) – or maybe Andrew Garfield (the new Spiderman).
Erwin Kempff
July 13, 2012 at 11:46
Yeah, kinda looks like the new rabobi
Lourens Corleone
July 13, 2012 at 14:02
Perfume: Story of a Murderer
Kervyn Cloete
July 13, 2012 at 14:10
Ah yes. Forgot about that one.