Marvel Star Wants To Replace Judi Dench As James Bond's M

After Dame Judi Dench's M was killed in the 2012 "James Bond" installment "Skyfall" — though she made a cameo in the following film, "Spectre," despite being very dead — fans have probably been wondering who could possibly play the powerful chief of MI-6. Well, one actor is putting her own name forward — and frankly, it would be a pretty big get for the franchise.

In a British Vogue interview with Oscar winner Olivia Colman, who's known from everything from "Fleabag" to "The Crown," she said she'd actually really love to play M, especially when interviewer Giles Hattersley told the actor that she somewhat resembles a younger version of the other Academy Award-winning performer. Colman, for her part, was surprised: "What! 've never heard that. Oh, I love that! Well, I've got short hair." 

Hattersley, clearly a consummate professional, took it one step further and suggested that, due to the resemblance, Colman should "do 'Bond'" and step into Dench's vacated, M-shaped shoes. "Oh, my God!" Colman replied, apparently squealing. "The amount of time I have wanted to be M. I'm not sure who I need to call ..." When Hattersley suggested famous "James Bond" producer Barbara Broccoli, Colman was ready: "I know, I met her 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."

If Olivia Colman does indeed end up in the "James Bond" franchise, it won't be her first experience working within a major piece of intellectual property. Earlier this year, Colman joined the cast of Marvel Studios' Disney+ miniseries "Secret Invasion," joining Samuel L. Jackson and playing Sonya Falsworth (who, as it happens, is an MI-6 agent like M), after she apparently begged her agent to put her forward for an MCU role. Sonya and Jackson's character Nick Fury are longtime frenemies, and when the two spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about joining forces to play old acquaintances, they talked about Colman's approach to the character and her complicated working relationship with Fury.

"The interesting way that Olivia decided to play Sonya changed what our dynamic was," Jackson said of his co-star. "There's a way where she could have been contentious. She could have been a very nasty person about who he is and what his inabilities are at this time, but she chose to go cozy and fuzzy ... all those things changed the dynamic. It allowed us to work together in a harmony that's more satisfying to the story and our backstory than any other way. They could have been just enemies and not frenemies." 

Dame Judi Dench was obviously excellent as M, but she did bring a stern quality to the role. Perhaps if Colman plays the character next, she could take a similar approach as she did while portraying Sonya Falworth.

The "James Bond" franchise is no stranger to major stars, but it's worth noting that Olivia Colman — like Dame Judi Dench before her — would be an incredible pick to play M, as she's one of the most established and in-demand performers of her generation. After gaining notoriety with international audiences thanks to her starring turn alongside David Tennant in the crime drama "Broadchurch" and working with Yorgos Lanthimos on "The Lobster," Colman shot to international fame when she starred as the unstable monarch Queen Anne in Lanthimos' film "The Favourite." That role earned Colman the Academy Award for best actress and cemented her as one of the most invaluable talents in the industry.

Colman went on to play the middle-aged version of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown" — a role she held for two seasons before passing the proverbial crown to Imelda Staunton — and worked on more Academy Award-nominated movies, including "The Father" and "The Lost Daughter." Now set to appear in this winter's origin story "Wonka" alongside Timotheé Chamalet as well as the highly anticipated sequel "Paddington in Peru," Colman's star isn't going to fade any time soon ... so maybe Barbara Broccoli does read British Vogue and will give her a call.