Ben Whishaw won’t return as Q for the next James Bond film, and he thinks the series needs a complete rethink as Amazon MGM Studios takes charge and Denis Villeneuve prepares to direct.
Whoever plays 007 next will become the face of a new creative team. Whishaw’s question is what that Bond should stand for in a changed world.
The 46-year-old played MI6’s gadget specialist alongside Daniel Craig in Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die. Asked what advice he’d give the next film’s makers, he said: “The world has changed so much since the last Bond film so you have to find what is relevant about it. I think it needs to be reinvented completely. But it’s not for me to say.”
Whishaw said he rarely thinks about Bond now, though he understands the fascination with who’ll replace Craig. He described the secrecy around making the films: “When you are working on it it’s incredibly secretive, almost like being a spy – you only get the pages of the script that you are in.”
“It’s a ploy to create suspense and glamour, but it’s kind of fun,” he added.
Reports from Jeff Sneider and Jordan Ruimy suggest the casting search has narrowed to Jack Lowden, Jacob Elordi and an unnamed third actor. Ruimy described Elordi as Amazon’s preferred choice and suggested the mystery candidate could have Villeneuve’s backing. Those casting claims remain unconfirmed.