After seven films as M, the head of MI6, Dame Judi Dench has announced she will be leaving the James Bond franchise. The actress, who is 78, said that she was told her character would be killed off in Skyfall, the most recent instalment in the series. “I was grateful to them for telling me because at least I knew before everyone else that my time was up,” she told an interviewer.
So why did Judi Dench leave Bond? The decision to kill off M was reportedly made by director Sam Mendes and screenwriter John Logan. They felt that it would add an emotional weight to the film if M were to die at the hands of her former protégé, Javier Bardem’s villainous Raoul Silva.
This would also mark a new era for the franchise, with Daniel Craig’s Bond operating without his longtime superior. Dame Judi Dench said she was sad to say goodbye to the role but added that “there are other things I want to do now”. She has previously hinted that she would like to retire from acting altogether, saying “I don’t know how much longer I can go on pretending to be people who are younger than me”.
However, she has also said that she would consider returning for one last film if her health allows it.
Is Judi Dench in No Time to Die
No Time to Die is an upcoming 2020 film, and the twenty-fifth instalment in the James Bond series. The film stars Daniel Craig as James Bond, with Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Jeffrey Wright and Christoph Waltz reprising their roles from previous films. New cast members include Rami Malek as the film’s villain Safin and Lashana Lynch as Nomi, who takes over the 007 designation after Bond resigns from MI6 at the beginning of the film.
Filming began in April 2019 at Pinewood Studios in England and continued in Jamaica until August 2019. No Time to Die is scheduled to be released theatrically on 2 April 2020 in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures International and on 10 April 2020 in the United States by MGM. Judi Dench will return as M for her seventh appearance in a James Bond film.
In 2012’s Skyfall she was revealed to have known about Bond’s true identity all along; her involvement with him during his career now comes under scrutiny from new intelligence chief C (Ralph Fiennes).
What Happened to Judi Dench in James Bond?
In the film series, James Bond is an English agent, working for MI6. He has a license to kill and is known for his cold and efficient manner. In Skyfall, the third film in the Daniel Craig era of the franchise, it is revealed that while Judi Dench’s M was in charge of the intelligence agency, she had authorized an operation which resulted in the death of Bond’s wife.
This revelation leads to her resignation.
Why Did Judi Dench Stop Acting?
On December 21, 2016, Dame Judi Dench announced her retirement from acting. The 81-year-old actress made the announcement during an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.
Dench said that she is no longer able to “memorize the lines” and that her “party tricks are failing her.”
She also said that she doesn’t want to do any more Shakespeare because “you can’t improve on Shakespeare.”
This isn’t the first time Dench has spoken about her retirement. In 2015, she told The Telegraph that she was considering retiring because her vision was beginning to fail.
And in 2014, she told Good Housekeeping that she would retire when “they cart me off.”
It’s unclear what exactly led to Dench’s decision to finally retire. However, it’s clear that age and health are playing a role.
It’s also possible that Dench simply feels like she’s accomplished everything she wanted to in her career and is ready to move on to other things.
Whatever the reason, we’ll miss seeing Dame Judi Dench on the big screen. She’s been a powerhouse actress for decades and has appeared in some of the most iconic films of all time.
We wish her all the best in retirement!
Why Did They Change M in James Bond?
The change in James Bond’s iconic “M” character was made for the most recent film, Spectre. The character, played by Ralph Fiennes, is now the Head of Joint Security Services, combining MI6 with MI5. This reflects the real-life changes that have happened within British intelligence agencies in recent years.
The new M is a more serious and somber character than previous incarnations. In Spectre, he has to deal with the fallout from previous films’ events, as well as the return of villain Blofeld. He is a more complex figure than before, and this is reflected in his interactions with Bond.
Overall, the change to M was made to reflect the changing times within British intelligence agencies. The new M is a more realistic and complex character that better fits the current landscape of espionage.
Conclusion
In 2012, Judi Dench announced that she would be leaving the James Bond franchise after playing M for seven films. The reason given was that her character had been killed off in the previous film, Skyfall. However, some have speculated that the real reason behind her departure was because she disagreed with the direction the franchise was going in.
Judi Dench is one of the most celebrated actresses of our time. She has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and numerous other awards throughout her career. So it came as a surprise to many when she announced she would be leaving the James Bond franchise after seven films.
The reason given at the time was that her character, M, had been killed off in Skyfall. However, some have speculated that there may have been more to her departure than meets the eye. It’s possible that Dench didn’t agree with where the franchise was headed after Skyfall.
The movie was a critical and commercial success, but it strayed away from what many consider to be traditional James Bond fare. It’s possible that Dench felt that M’s death served as a way to distance herself from the franchise before it went too far off the rails. Whatever the reasons behind her departure, we’ll always remember Judi Dench as one of the best actors to ever grace the screen – bond or no bond.
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