Doing the promotional rounds for his new Netflix movie The Dig, Ralph Fiennes has revealed to GamesRadar+ that he’d like to continue playing M after Daniel Craig departs from the role of James Bond. Craig is set to leave the franchise following the upcoming No Time to Die, but Fiennes hopes to stick around when his successor takes over.
When asked about whether he would continue to play M in post-No Time to Die Bond movies, Fiennes said, “If anyone from Eon Films is listening, I’m very keen to continue training the new Bond. I love playing M, and I love being part of that franchise. But who knows? Things have to change. But I love working with Daniel. He’s a terrific Bond. I will treasure that experience.”
The Bond producers have yet to announce their casting pick for the next James Bond (they might not have even decided who it’ll be yet), but popular fan castings include Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Tom Holland, John Boyega, and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page. And although Fiennes is eager to return as M after Craig leaves the franchise, it’s unclear what’ll happen to the other supporting cast members, like Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q.
Speaking of returning cast members, a couple of actors from Spectre are set to return in No Time to Die, continuing the Craig movies’ ongoing storylines. Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld will be back and Léa Seydoux is set to reprise her role as love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann. Jeffrey Wright is returning as Bond’s CIA contact Felix Leiter, too. The long-delayed movie is also adding a handful of exciting new faces to the cast, including Oscar-winner Rami Malek as the villain, Lashana Lynch as a new 00 agent, and Ana de Armas as a new ally of Bond’s.
There is a precedent for one Bond’s M to continue playing M opposite the next Bond. Bernard Lee played the role opposite Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and Roger Moore; Robert Brown played the role opposite Moore and Timothy Dalton; and Judi Dench played the role opposite Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig before her incarnation of the character died in Skyfall. This paved the way for Fiennes’ Mallory to take over the M position. It’s hardly surprising that Fiennes isn’t ready to give up the lucrative role after just two and a half movies.
Bond fans have been waiting to see No Time to Die for a long time. It was originally scheduled for a November 2019 release, then got postponed to February 2020 and later to April 2020 after Danny Boyle left the director’s chair. In March 2020, as COVID-19 was spreading across the world, the movie was pushed back to November. Then, in October 2020, it got delayed again to April 2021. Then, in January 2021, it was rescheduled to October 8, 2021. Fingers crossed it’ll actually make its release date this time.
Source: GamesRadar+