The What if thread...M had been re-cast for CR 2006? page 60

thedove

Interesting info @moneyofpropre2 I hadn't heard that the role was conceived as a male to begin with. I knew a woman named Tola.

Maybe it was never in the script but talked about, or like you say an internet myth that gained some legs.

I am guessing Bond and Tola didn't hit any hot tubs? LOL!

moneyofpropre2

Yes, maybe it was discussed about, or an internet myth (the source about that cited on wikipedia is not something we can trust about). A brief cameo for Anya was howewer scripted in Moonraker.

Well, nah no hot tube for the male version (lol), was other scenes with him but with the same (original) purpose (but I don't tell more to not "spoil" you if one day you want to read Scripting 007).

thedove

It came up on the missed opportunities thread, and never being shy about re-using content, thought I would use it here.

What if M had been recast for Daniel Craigs first film CR?

It was announced as a reboot and as such it was clear the producers were clearing the deck. No Moneypenny, no Q and no Tanner. At least not to start Craig's era. But they needed an M. The original plan was to cast a new actor in the role. Barbara even went so far as to have a lunch with Judi Dench to share this news. Legend has it when Barbara went to state that they had found a new James Bond and the plans for a reboot, Judi replied "when does filming start?". Barbara didn't have the heart to tell her she wouldn't be a part of it and so Judi returned as M. Although the character was written differently.

But what if Judi had accepted not being in the new film. What if the producers re-cast M for Craig. Do you think that they would have kept M female? Or would they have gone with a male actor?

We may not think this makes much of a difference, but by Daniel's third film it was decided to kill off M. This had more emotional weight since Judi had been playing the character for well over a decade. Would the plot of SF killed off M? Would it have had the same impact as the new actor would only have been in two films before being killed off?

So lets discuss, what if M had been re-cast for CR? how would it impact Craig's films and would it have changed the plot of SF?

M_Balje

Killing of Judi Dench M in Skyfall only works because it was Judi Dench M. Have there cast new M then should have another way to bring Silva to Skyfall. Moost easy option have been to delay death and Bond bring her with him. Bond left Casino and there stil meet at that boat, but then she asking for help and she going with him. Some how Silva still end in London to find her. Mabey message from to exited news guy (mabey faked with help of Mi6) who discover she is witness in court that day. The island stil can been hide place of Silva. But him at mi6 is canceled. Another option have been Camile back and she been Silva ex co-worker or/and ex boyfriend.

But also in CR and QOS some things only works because Judi Dench M. Inspecialy the whole Mother and trust issues with him that started with Twine. Trust issues be in first place why she been in the court and look there going to replace her in Skyfall. Severine in court be only replament i can think about to keep Silva running and driving trow London. There is something in that scene when Silva take the car that writers/eon whant we see. Her speach saying so much, i always name it Judi Dench M told truth whyle she was lying.

Emotions of some scenes like empty chair/missing bullet in QOS (the empty chair also symbol of Mr White his death) and little bit earlier tricker finger sound when Judi Dench name pop up in maintitle or her name in a star who been atacked in CR maintitles. All examples of hinting of her death. Skyfall self with Judi Dench name over graveyard, the bell of death sound (turn later also be hint of Bond Death).

thedove

Very good points @M_Balje I hadn't thought of expanding the role of Serverine within the movie. She becomes the prize.

Without Judi the dynamic between Bond and the M character would need more screen time to bring the emotion to the death.

Interesting thoughts.

CrabKey

The series has a history of reusing actors in different roles. With Dench it's a matter of seeing her as M in the Brosnan series and the same actor playing a different M in the Craig series. At first I thought it weird, but I've long since stopped trying to connect one Bond series with another.

DEKE_RIVERS

M_Balje wrote: »

Killing of Judi Dench M in Skyfall only works because it was Judi Dench M. Have there cast new M then should have another way to bring Silva to Skyfall.

I guess a new M is a good idea after all!

;)

It's a good movie until the third act. Bond's plan never made sense and also...it didn't work.

You can have stupid plans but they have to work.

Ludovico

SF would have been very different. If they'd kill M then it would have has a lesser impact than what we got. I think they would also have added to the pressure: casting a new Bond is already hard enough, you have all the usual other roles, then added to it a new M?

If they'd gone for male M, I suspect they would have been criticised for ditching Judi Dench in favour of a male actor.

007HallY

Yeah, it seems the biggest changes would have been to SF. Perhaps not fundamentally though. I mean, I get the sense M was written as a new incarnation of the character anyway for the Craig era, so no matter who the actress (if they went with another female M anyway) we’d have had a similar dynamic between Bond and M. SF could still have been a film based around M’s failures, with Silva swearing revenge on her. It’s just more unlikely she’d have died. Not that this would have improved the film.

Herr_Stockmann

To be honest, I don't think it would have had that much of an impact on Skyfall. Everything would have depended on the actress (or actor) chosen to replace Dench. I guess Eon would have gone for a high-profil actress (or, again, actor). If she, or he, had been embraced by the audience, I suspect Skyfall would have happened the way it did.

Based on this premise, I'm more curious to see who could have been chosen, in 2006, to play M. If we start from the idea that the character would have remained feminine and that a famous actress would have been chosen, Maggie Smith would have been the obvious choice from that time. Vanessa Redgrave could have been another possibility.

echo

I think they might have cast anyone as M, male or female, in CR. Say it were Fiennes, I still think he would have worked in SF, in obviously a very different role.

MaxCasino

echo wrote: »

I think they might have cast anyone as M, male or female, in CR. Say it were Fiennes, I still think he would have worked in SF, in obviously a very different role.

He could have been a young Sir Miles!

shimplyshocking007

Anthony Hopkins as M.

talos7

Having Dench return as "M" , obviously not the same "M" of the Brosnan era, worked but I hope it's not something that they try to repeat. Anthony Hopkins would have been excellent; I would have loved to have seen he and Craig playing off of each other and suspect that they would have had a great dynamic.

As far as how would it have impacted "Skyfall", I think that Hopkins' "M" could have been somewhat a surrogate father to Bond; by the time he died the loss would have been just as devastating as was Judi's.

Herr_Stockmann

shimplyshocking007 wrote: »

Anthony Hopkins as M.

A nice callback to GoldenEye and the original background of Trevelyan, back when Hopkins was approached to play him.

talos7 wrote: »

Having Dench return as "M" , obviously not the same "M" of the Brosnan era, worked but I hope it's not something that they try to repeat.

Same. As much as I like Fiennes, I hope Eon won't try to repeat what they did with Dench.