Olivia Colman is Interested in Playing M for Bond 26

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman sat down with British Vogue for their December 2023 issue to speak about her career and fame. The discussion eventually shifted to Dame Judi Dench, which led Colman to reveal that she’s been eyeing the role of M for some time now.

Upon hearing that she resembles a younger version of Dame Judi Dench, Colman was taken back: “What! I’ve never heard that. Oh, I love that! Well, I’ve got short hair.” When the interviewer mentioned she’d fit right into a Bond film Colman replied, “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 [Bond producer 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.”

The interaction that Colman is referring to is most likely a pre-BAFTA dinner party hosted by none other than Barbara Broccoli back in February 2019. So this would mean that the idea of playing M has been floating around in her mind for nearly five years if not longer. As they haven’t met since the dinner, Colman hasn’t had the opportunity to ask and it seems the Broccolis have never been keen enough to approach her about it.

Although at the time they were close to going into production on No Time To Die. The story was to be a continuation of SPECTRE so it made perfect sense for Ralph Fiennes to reprise his role. Now that the Daniel Craig era is officially over, the filmmakers will surely be searching for a completely new cast and this potentially opens the door for Colman as M.

Olivia Colman’s early career was mostly focused on small, comedic roles on British TV and to a lesser extent film. It wasn’t until several breakthrough projects such as The Lobster, The Night Manager and Fleabag that her name became known worldwide.

This acclaim brought along a considerable amount of nominations and accolades. This culminated in her winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal as Queen Anne in The Favourite. Other awards include two Golden Globes, three Emmys and four BAFTAs.

Colman therefore has the acting chops and enough enthusiasm to play the role of M. The only question is if she’ll fit into the producers’ vision for Bond 26 and beyond.

Source: British Vogue December 2023 Issue