34 replies to this topic

[Miles Miservy]

I'm not familiar with this new fellow but, from a casting point of view, one would think that an actor with a little bit more maturity would suffice. (Does his Mommy know he's playing w/gadgets?). He looks like the kid I buy my morning coffee from.

[MajorB]

Which I think is the point . . .

[marktmurphy]

I'm not familiar with this new fellow but, from a casting point of view, one would think that an actor with a little bit more maturity would suffice. (Does his Mommy know he's playing w/gadgets?). He looks like the kid I buy my morning coffee from.

Ben Whishaw is an experienced and highly talented actor. Why can't the Q he's playing be equally experienced and talented at the same age?

[Shrublands]

It really shouldn't be too much of a stretch to the imagination that a relatively young man is good at things technical.

Ben Whishaw is an experienced and highly talented actor. Why can't the Q he's playing be equally experienced and talented at the same age?

Exactly.

[JCRendle]

(Does his Mommy know he's playing w/gadgets?).

He's 31, which is older than Bill Gates was when he launched Microsoft (20) and when he released the first retail Windows (30). He's older than Steve Jobs when he launched Apple Computers (21), Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook 8 years ago and he's only 28 now. Sergey Brin invented Google when he was 20. Is it really that inconceivable that a youthful genius could be hired by MI6 fresh out of university and rise up the ranks in 9 or so years to become head of his department?

[JCRendle]

Not to mention Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Simon Cowell - Just because you're young, doesn't mean you can't be highly successful!

[AMC Hornet]

Let's hope young Q isn't like Simon Cowell...

[Miles Miservy]

(Does his Mommy know he's playing w/gadgets?).

He's 31, which is older than Bill Gates was when he launched Microsoft (20) and when he released the first retail Windows (30). He's older than Steve Jobs when he launched Apple Computers (21), Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook 8 years ago and he's only 28 now. Sergey Brin invented Google when he was 20. Is it really that inconceivable that a youthful genius could be hired by MI6 fresh out of university and rise up the ranks in 9 or so years to become head of his department?

...barely looks old enough to drive.

[JCRendle]

...barely looks old enough to drive.

"Looks can be deceptive"

[Pussfeller]

He's very skinny and wears his hair long, which makes him look more young than he is. I'll wait till I see him in action before I make a decision about him.

[larrythefatcat]

I think young geeky guy actually makes a LOT more sense for a character who's supposed to be well-versed in modern technology... I loved Desmond, but I think this new direction for the character of Q is not only suitable, but practically a "no brainer".

[AMC Hornet]

Besides, provided Whishaw doesn't become a superstar, he could be around for the next 17 films - however many years that takes.

[Double-0-Seven]

I think young geeky guy actually makes a LOT more sense for a character who's supposed to be well-versed in modern technology... I loved Desmond, but I think this new direction for the character of Q is not only suitable, but practically a "no brainer".

Precisely. I highly doubt the gadget master of a real world MI6 would be an 80 year old military man. It'd be a young guy fresh out of school. I love Desmond of course, but his Q isn't right for this new direction. Ben Whishaw fits the bill of a young genius.

[Dustin]

Let's just wait and see. Personally I'd have preferred Q's looks a little less cliche, but there's potential in it. Hope it's used as well.

[Guy Haines]

In the recent press release, Barbara Broccoli referred to the return of the "beloved character", Q, in Skyfall. I suspect it was Desmond Llewelyn's portrayal that was beloved - one third military officer, one third mad scientist and one third grumpy old man! I also liked John's Cleese's brief turn - a sarcastic public school teacher type dealing with an unruly pupil named Bond.

That said, I'm going to reserve judgement on the new quartermaster until I see him on screen.

[Miles Miservy]

In the recent press release, Barbara Broccoli referred to the return of the "beloved character", Q, in Skyfall. I suspect it was Desmond Llewelyn's portrayal that was beloved - one third military officer, one third mad scientist and one third grumpy old man! I also liked John's Cleese's brief turn - a sarcastic public school teacher type dealing with an unruly pupil named Bond.

That said, I'm going to reserve judgement on the new quartermaster until I see him on screen.

Yes, but why not just bring back the uncredited Q from CR (the guy that injected the homer into OO7's arm)?

[Skudor]

A young M might be a bit weird, but a young Q is the logical step away from Llewellyn. Having said that, it's also a step that multiple Bond clones have taken, so it has to be done right. I fully expect the character and his interaction with Bond to be something a bit more original than those clones, otherwise we just have the original cloning the clones. And we can't have that.

But casting an old fogey would seem a bit incongruous in this day and age.

[Shrublands]

In the recent press release, Barbara Broccoli referred to the return of the "beloved character", Q, in Skyfall. I suspect it was Desmond Llewelyn's portrayal that was beloved - one third military officer, one third mad scientist and one third grumpy old man! I also liked John's Cleese's brief turn - a sarcastic public school teacher type dealing with an unruly pupil named Bond.

That said, I'm going to reserve judgement on the new quartermaster until I see him on screen.

Yes, but why not just bring back the uncredited Q from CR (the guy that injected the homer into OO7's arm)?

Perhaps because they wanted a talented actor to play the scenes they have planned for Skyfall – something beyond the capabilities of a glorified extra.

[AMC Hornet]

At least they didn't go the other, obvious route that you see in so many other superagent stories:

'Miss Peabody' in Billion-Dollar Threat;
'Janice' in The Return of the Man From Uncle;
'Frankie' in Assassin of Secrets (oh, wait - those passages were Anne "Q'ute" Reiilly's from Licence Renewed).

EON probably resisted having a female gadget master just to avoid having to pay any royalties to IFP.

[MajorB]

IIRC, the "glorified extra" was the actual tech who delivered the machine and knew how to operate it. I think this was mentioned in the commentaries. So, not an actor. Though I liked that little look her exchanged with Bond as he was finishing up.

[Shrublands]

IIRC, the "glorified extra" was the actual tech who delivered the machine and knew how to operate it. I think this was mentioned in the commentaries. So, not an actor. Though I liked that little look her exchanged with Bond as he was finishing up.

So, as you say, not an actor then, what one might call a 'featured extra'.
(Where 'featured' = 'glorified')

[Baccarat]

Probably in a minority of one on this, but I'm disappointed Q is returning. I've never been much of a fan of the quartermaster scenes, other than the gun exchange in DN which is terrific. Mostly, they are ruined by the weak humour in all the silly stuff going on in the background. Cleese was just abysmal, playing the role like he was back on the set of Fawlty Towers. So I suppose in a sense the only way is up with this new bloke. But I'd rather skip the whole Q thing like CR and QoS, which were better off without it.

[tdalton]

Probably in a minority of one on this, but I'm disappointed Q is returning. I've never been much of a fan of the quartermaster scenes, other than the gun exchange in DN which is terrific. Mostly, they are ruined by the weak humour in all the silly stuff going on in the background. Cleese was just abysmal, playing the role like he was back on the set of Fawlty Towers. So I suppose in a sense the only way is up with this new bloke. But I'd rather skip the whole Q thing like CR and QoS, which were better off without it.

Well said.

I certainly didn't miss Q in either Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace and I would have liked to have seen them continue in that direction instead of having to bring back many of the trappings of the first 20 films.

Edited by tdalton, 20 July 2012 - 09:40 PM.

[AMC Hornet]

Be warned, Tdalton and Baccarat: I'll be watching for your posts come November, and when you're raving about how great Whishaw is and how great the Q Branch scene is in Skyfall, I'll remember you.

I intend to give the gang a chance, and see the film first before deciding to condemn any part of it.

[tdalton]

Be warned, Tdalton and Baccarat: I'll be watching for your posts come November, and when you're raving about how great Whishaw is and how great the Q Branch scene is in Skyfall, I'll remember you.

I intend to give the gang a chance, and see the film first before deciding to condemn any part of it.

It's not so much a condemnation of the scenes in Skyfall, they very well could end up being good Bond/Q scenes. I've never cared for the Bond/Q scenes (outside of the odd one here and there) and would prefer that, as a whole, they don't appear in the films anymore, so it's not a case of condemning something in Skyfall just to simply criticize.

Edited by tdalton, 21 July 2012 - 12:11 AM.

[Dustin]

Actually I'm no fan of Q's comeback either. If there was a need to furnish Bond's world with returning characters aside from M I would have gone with Tanner rather than Q. But now we've got Q and I hope for the best, despite my belief it wasn't necessary to go down that route.

[S K Y F A L L]

I don't think the new Q is that much of a big deal that they had to put him in the trailer but it does look like it has a lot to do with the story.

[PPK_19]

Problem is, the majority of the movie-going public think it's essential to have Q and Moneypenny in a Bond film. "It's not quite Bond without them" (i'm just going from what many of my friends have said, i didn't miss them in the last two outings either). It's the Bond formula eh?

I welcome them back for Skyfall though. 50 years of James Bond, it wouldn't be the same without them. Whether we see Moneypenny in SF is another matter though...

[Vauxhall]

If we do see Moneypenny in SKYFALL, it will only become clear towards the very end I'd say. However, semi-surprising character reveals can be done in a cultured manner (i.e. see Christopher Nolan).

[Dustin]

Problem is, the majority of the movie-going public think it's essential to have Q and Moneypenny in a Bond film. "It's not quite Bond without them" (i'm just going from what many of my friends have said, i didn't miss them in the last two outings either). It's the Bond formula eh?

I welcome them back for Skyfall though. 50 years of James Bond, it wouldn't be the same without them. Whether we see Moneypenny in SF is another matter though...

If we do see Moneypenny in SKYFALL, it will only become clear towards the very end I'd say. However, semi-surprising character reveals can be done in a cultured manner (i.e. see Christopher Nolan).

Yes, I've read a lot on the Moneypenny-topic already, mostly speculation of one kind or another - and some of it pretty tainted with rigorous rejection. However it may turn out in the end, I'll only know what to think of it once I've seen it. Moneypenny is an element like Q for me, I didn't miss her at all (and truth be told, I wish she'd been absent from the entire run of TLD to DAD).

But I think you have something there with the ordinary audience (of course they look for familiar elements) and with the anniversary. It's true, both characters belong to the series even if they don't feature in every film. Is that reason enough to have them in this entry? Well, if their appearance has a meaning for the plot, if the story actually profits from these two, then yes, have them, use them, give the audience what they want.

Ideally in a way they don't expect.