Skyfall the service. Javier Bardem was cast as the film's principal villain, Raoul Silva, a cyberterrorist who is seeking revenge against those he holds responsible for betraying him. Bardem described Silva as "more than a villain", while Craig stated that Bond has a "very important relationship" to Silva. In casting the role, director Sam Mendes admitted that he lobbied hard for Bardem to accept the part. Mendes saw the potential for the character to be recognised as one of the most memorable characters in the series and wanted to create "something [the audience] may consider to have been absent from the
Skyfall – Part 2" (£35.7 million). By 9 November 2012 the film had earned over £57 million to surpass "The Dark Knight Rises" as the highest-grossing film of 2012, and the highest-grossing James Bond film of all time in the UK. After 40 days of release the total UK gross stood at £94.28 million, making "Skyfall" the highest-grossing film in the UK, surpassing the £94.03 million of "Avatar". By 30 December 2012, it had become the first film to gross more than £100 million ($161.6 million) in the UK. "Skyfall"s takings at the box office saw it become only the 14th