There was some slight disinformation floating around about Bond 23 last month, when we thought that Rhys Ifans was joining the cast. This turned out to not be true, but the actual lineup of actors is still pretty excellent — Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, and Judi Dench are all involved, and we’re now hearing of another possible addition.

ComingSoon has learned that Ben Whishaw — who you might remember from I’m Not There, Brideshead Revisited, and Layer Cake, which also starred Craig — will appear in a part that’s currently undisclosed. They’re also reporting that two Bond girls will be present in this installment; one is a “beautiful English Agent,” the other a “beautiful Asian woman named ‘Severin.’” Anyone who’s seen even just a couple of Bond movies should be aware that there are usually two kinds of female roles: the main Bond girl, as well as the minor foil, one who is often killed off early on as a way of advancing the plot. They haven’t been cast yet, but when they do, I don’t expect them to be big names — the past few installments haven’t really had “celebrities” in the parts, although the big cast this one has been getting could be a sign of change.

Whishaw hasn’t taken off like some might expect; he’s shown talent in a few good films, but he isn’t a name that many know. That much being said, having a part in a new Bond movie directed by Sam Mendes can’t hurt his career. (Nor should Cloud Atlas.) Luckily for this project, he’s another good name to add to the cast; so many strong actors being present already sets this apart from most other films in the series. Bond 23 will start shooting this fall, and is set for a release on November 9th, 2012.

In other casting news, ComingSoon has also learned that Gerard Butler might star for Phillip Noyce in Hunter Killer. The adaptation of George Wallace‘s novel, Firing Point, is being scripted by the author and Don Keith, focusing on “an untested submarine captain who must work with a Navy SEAL team to rescue the Russian president, who has been taken prisoner during a military coup, in an effort to stop a rogue Russian General from igniting World War III.” Butler would be in the lead as the submarine captain, Joe Glass.

Keep in mind that this is still an early development, so nothing is confirmed, although it has been pointed out that the involvement of Relativity could be a good sign for him joining — they’re also distributing his upcoming Machine Gun Preacher. The film has been scheduled for a release on December 21st, 2012, but that’s one of the most crowded months I’ve probably ever seen. I could easily imagine them moving this up or back a month or two, although that’s just speculation on my part.

Would you want to see Whishaw in a Bond movie? Is Butler a good choice for Hunter Killer?