Ben Whishaw to Play Russian Dissident Eduard Limonov in New Film From Kirill Serebrennikov (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentVersatile British actor Ben Whishaw, best known globally for playing Q in five James Bond films, has been cast in what’s bound to be the one of the most complex roles of his career.The actor will play the titular character in “Limonov, The Ballad of Eddie,” a new English-language film by revered Russian auteur Kirill Serebrennikov (“Petrov’s Flu,” “Leto”), about radical Russian poet and political dissident Eduard Limonov.The film, which will be presented as a promo reel to buyers in Cannes on May 17, is inspired by the best-selling novel “Limonov” by French writer and director Emmanuelle Carrère, which was translated in 35 countries.“Limonov” delves into the story of Eduard Limonov, who lived many lives.

He was an underground writer in the Soviet Union who escaped to the U.S. where he became a punk-poet and also a butler to a millionaire in Manhattan. “Eddie” then became a literary sensation in Paris before returning to Russia where he morphed into a charismatic dissident party leader with rock star status, and incarcerated by Vladimir Putin.

The tale of “Limonov” is basically a journey through Russia, America and Europe during the second half of the 20th century that’s likely to become more relevant as current history unfolds.Shooting on “Limonov” was underway in Russia when the war broke out.

Serebrennikov, who himself has had legal troubles under Putin’s regime, stopped shooting, and an extensive operation was in place to get Whishaw out of the country.Serebrennikov, both a film and theater director known for Cannes competition titles “Leto” and “Petrov’s Flu,” will be in Cannes with his latest film, “Tchaikovsky’s Wife.” Ending a three-year travel ban, in March he was able.