Summary
- Olivia Colman expresses her desire to play the role of 007’s MI-6 boss in a future James Bond movie, drawing comparisons to Judi Dench. She even met Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and wanted to ask for the role.
- It remains to be seen if the role of M will be recast.
- If Colman were to be cast as M, she would be a worthy successor to Dench and Ralph Fiennes, with her proven track record and portrayal of strong female characters.
Academy Award winner and star of Marvel’s Secret Invasion Olivia Colman has set her sights on joining the James Bond franchise. The celebrated British actress has collected an impressive list of accolades throughout her illustrious career, including a 2019 Oscar win for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite. She also went on to add a 2021 Emmy win for her role as yet another British Monarch, for playing Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s The Crown. Earlier this year, she also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the formidable British spy and ally of Nick Fury, Sonya Falsworth.
During a recent interview with British Vogue, Colman was surprised yet delighted to be compared to a young Judi Dench who is known for her tenure as M in the James Bond series. This prompted her to reveal her desire to play the role of 007’s MI-6 boss in an upcoming movie and even revealed that she once met Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and wanted to ask if she could play the role. Check out her comments below:
What! I’ve never heard that [she resembles Judi Dench]. Oh, I love that! Well, I’ve got short hair. Oh, my God! The amount of time I have wanted to be M. I’m not sure who I need to call… I know, I met [Barbara Broccoli] once. I wanted to go, ‘Can I be M?’ I must try to be cooler about it. Maybe she reads Vogue? Put that bit in.
Will Bond 26 Recast The Role Of M?
At this stage, there is no concrete indication of when audiences can expect to see the next James Bond movie, though speculation is rampant about which actor will be chosen to play the new 007. With Daniel Craig finishing up in the role after five movies, the 26th Bond movie is expected to serve as a major reinvention of the franchise following the death of Craig’s Bond in No Time to Die. The question remains, however, whether Broccoli will seek to recast all other roles in the series or potentially leave Ralph Fiennes in place as the current MI-6 chief.
Tradition would dictate that Fiennes could potentially stay on in the role, with each of his predecessors playing M’s role opposite multiple Bond actors. Even Craig’s tenure, which was considered a major franchise reboot, saw Dench return to the role she held since Pierce Brosnan’s 007 debut in 1995’s GoldenEye. Moreover, Fiennes has also indicated his willingness to stay on as M and “continue training the new Bond.”
Over the span of 25 official Bond movies, only four actors have played M: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes.
However, should the decision be made to cast a new M opposite the next James Bond, Colman is certainly a strong contender. Immensely talented with a proven track record of playing powerful women, she would be a more than worthy successor to the likes of Dench and Fiennes. Moreover, she has already had direct experience playing fictional spy bosses before, not only in the MCU’s Secret Invasion but also in the 2016 mini-series The Night Manager with popular Bond contender Tom Hiddleston.
Source: British Vogue