Claim: Daniel Craig took the role of Bond.

Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film produced by Eon Productions and released in 2012 . It features Daniel Craig in his third performance as James Bond , and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva , the film 's villain . It was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis , Robert Wade and John Logan , and features an Academy Award-winning theme , sung by Adele . It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -LRB- MGM -RRB- and Columbia Pictures .   The story centres on Bond investigating an attack on MI6 ; the attack is part of a plot by former MI6 agent Raoul Silva to humiliate , discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him . The film sees the return of two recurring characters to the series after an absence of two films : Q , played by Ben Whishaw , and Moneypenny , played by Naomie Harris . Skyfall is the last film of the series for Judi Dench , who played M , a role that she had played in the previous six films . The position is subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes ' character , Gareth Mallory , though Dench would make a brief appearance in the next Bond film , Spectre .   Mendes was approached to direct the film after the release of Quantum of Solace in 2008 . Development was suspended when MGM encountered financial troubles and did not resume until December 2010 ; during this time , Mendes remained attached to the project as a consultant . The original screenwriter , Peter Morgan , left the project during the suspension . When production resumed , Logan , Purvis , and Wade continued writing what became the final version of the script . Filming began in November 2011 and primarily took place in the United Kingdom , with smaller portions shot in China and Turkey .   Skyfall premiered in London at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 October 2012 and was released in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2012 and the United States on 9 November 2012 . It was the first James Bond film to be screened in IMAX venues , although it was not filmed with IMAX cameras . The film 's release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the series , which began with Dr. No in 1962 . Skyfall was positively received by critics , being praised for its performances -- particularly those of Craig , Bardem and Dench -- writing and script , cinematography , Mendes ' direction , Thomas Newman 's score , and the action scenes . It was the 14th film to gross over $ 1 billion worldwide , and the first Bond film to do so . It became the seventh-highest-grossing film at the time , the highest-grossing film in the UK , the highest-grossing film in the series , the highest-grossing film worldwide for both Sony Pictures and MGM , and the second-highest-grossing film of 2012 . The film won several accolades , including two BAFTA Awards , two Academy Awards and two Grammys .