SUMMARY
Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond era changed the franchise by adding emotional depth to M’s character.
Casting the new M for James Bond 26 is more crucial because of their larger role in modern movies.
M’s emotional death, arguably the best scene of Craig’s era, was only possibile because of the change Brosnan’s era made.
Choosing the right actors for James Bond 26 is even more important because of a change the franchise made during the Pierce Brosnan era. Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond changed the franchise in many significant ways.
It allowed Bond to have more of an emotional attachment to the women he met rather than being a carefree womanizer, and also changed the rules around main characters dying. No Time To Die‘s ending featured the death of James Bond, while 2012’s Skyfall killed off Judi Dench’s version of M.
These character deaths have made it imperative for James Bond 26‘s cast to rebuild from the ground up. During previous eras, the supporting actors did not reset every time 007 himself got a new actor.
Even as recently as Casino Royale, Dench’s M was carried over from Pierce Brosnan’s reign, making Bond 26 the first time the cast will undergo wholesale change.
While casting the new James Bond is obviously paramount, another casting decision has become even more important because of a change made by the Pierce Brosnan era.
Daniel Craig retired as Bond after No Time To Die at age 53, but how old was each James Bond actor when they played the super-spy?
The World Is Not Enough Changed M’s Role In The James Bond Movies
Brosnan’s Era Made M A Major Character for the First Time
1999’s The World Is Not Enough was the first entry in the Bond franchise to use M as a full character rather than as a flat, one-dimensional figure whose only purpose was to set up the mission of each movie.
M is the head of MI6 and Bond’s boss, but prior to The World Is Not Enough, Bond had little interaction with M beyond accepting the mission of the day.
M would then disappear from the action before returning in the next movie with a new assignment for Bond.
The World Is Not Enough broke that trope by having Elektra King kidnap M, pulling Bond’s superior into the fray of the main storyline.M’s underdeveloped character prior to The World Is Not Enough became so infamous that Austin Powers created a satirical version named “Basil Exposition,” implying M’s only function was to provide audiences with the necessary information about 007’s new mission.
The World is Not Enough eliminated this trope by making M a more central character who interacted with Bond throughout the film, and this trend then continued throughout subsequent movies.
M’s Casting For Bond 26 Is More Important Than Ever
Bond 26 Needs the Right M Actor After No Time To Die’s Tragic Ending
No Time to Die killed off James Bond for the very first time onscreen, and it remains to be seen how the franchise will handle this development in Bond 26.
The reboot after Bond’s death will involve establishing a wholly new relationship between the next Bond and the next M.
Preserving the more personal relationship between M and Bond will be one of the keys to rebuilding the series after Bond’s death put the franchise in uncharted territory.
Bond 26 will be the first time since M’s role shifted that the franchise is specifically casting a new version that will be a major player throughout the new James Bond’s run.
This makes casting the new M in James Bond 26 more important than ever. Before Dench, M was very much the one-dimensional “Basil Exposition” figure.
Dench’s successor, Ralph Fiennes, evolved into the role more naturally to eventually take her place, but his character’s relationship with 007 had already been established before being promoted, and his stint only lasted two full movies.
Bond 26 will be the first time since M’s role shifted in The World Is Not Enough that the franchise is specifically casting a new version that will be a major player throughout the new James Bond’s run.
M Actor
Eon James Bond Movies
Bernard Lee
Dr. No (1962) – Moonraker (1979)
Robert Brown
Octopussy (1983) – License To Kill (1989)
Judi Dench
Goldeneye (1995) – Skyfall (2012)
Ralph Fiennes
Skyfall (2012) – No Time To Die (2021)
2012’s Skyfall killed off Judi Dench’s M after an almost 20-year run, returning to a more traditional format where M was male and was assisted by the female Moneypenny. Dench’s version of M offered greater gender equality within the traditionally male franchise, making Bond 26 the perfect time to correct this by hiring another female actress to play MI6’s chief.
The Brosnan Era’s M Change Gave Daniel Craig His Greatest Moment as 007
Without The Changes to M, Daniel Craig’s Best Moment May Not Have Happen
Across his five-movie streak, Daniel Craig’s 007 experienced many standout moments. One of the most memorable was the ending of Skyfall and Bond’s reaction to M’s death.
The character of M was originally envisioned as a minor role whose purpose was to give Bond information about his latest mission, but The World Is Not Enough changed that, and M’s death in Skyfall became one of the franchise’s most powerful scenes as a result.
The Craig era, therefore, owes a debt to Brosnan, as it took M’s development to its logical conclusion by making Dench the heart of Skyfall‘s ending – and arguably Daniel Craig’s best scene as James Bond.
Killing M would have packed nowhere near as much emotive punch if the character was still limited to office briefings and quips about Bond’s bedroom shenanigans.
Bond 26 must now choose the perfect actor to play M as part of its reboot in order to give the next actor the same kind of compelling dynamic Craig and Dench had.
