At the current moment, the James Bond movies are still in that sort of free falling uncertainty that happens every time 007 changes actors. The Daniel Craig era of Bond is over, with only the announcement of his successor remaining to officially close things out. As such, it’s a good time to ask if that means the same for all of the faces No Time To Die brought back to support Craig’s 007. And one of the actors in Craig’s big swan song thinks there could be more to the story for their character.
During a recent chat at the Telluride Film Festival, star Léa Seydoux was on hand, and was asked whether her Dr. Madeleine Swann could return for Bond 26. Deadline was the publication in question that posed this rather interesting scenario, and Seydoux responded with some very interesting statements. Among them was the following:
After all I’m not dead. It was James who died, not Madeleine. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll be back. … I haven’t spoken to Barbara about whether or not Madeleine would make an appearance in a future Bond film, a lot has to happen before that stage is reached. This is just idle speculation as we talk on the top of a mountain.
No Time To Die’s ending didn’t need to kill off all of 007’s fondest friends and family, even though we did see the loss of Jeffrey Wright’s Felix Leither midway through. Despite so many rumors flying around what sort of secret her character was holding, Madeleine’s big twist happened to be that she had James Bond’s daughter. Seeing how that plotline turned out in the conclusion of the 25th 007 adventure, Léa Seydoux definitely isn’t saying never in her continued remarks:
This is like fake news, right? But if we’re serious for a moment, Madeleine drives away with her daughter right at the end because James has saved them. There’ll be a new Bond because Daniel’s Bond died but who’s to say that Madeleine won’t be back?
The James Bond franchise hasn’t had a problem bringing actors back in the past, whether they were playing their assigned characters or not. Where the new era of continuity goes in Bond 26 and beyond is where the question of whether Dr. Madeleine Swann and/or Mathilde return will ultimately be answered. Though there’s still some figures that don’t have to depend on such whims.
James Bond history has always allowed the MI6 support characters to return throughout the years, no matter who was playing Commander Bond. Most recently we saw Dame Judi Dench’s M leapfrog over the concern of rebooting Bond, as she was on hand in Casino Royale, despite a new timeline of events being started. That sort of loyalty isn’t lost on certain members of the Daniel Craig era, for sure.
When CinemaBlend spoke with Naomie Harris for the home entertainment release of No Time To Die, the Moneypenny actor was keen to stay on board. Other interviews with folks like current M Ralph Fiennes have the same sort of tone, with Fiennes flat out pitching EON Productions that he’d love to continue acting out Gareth Mallory’s adventures in the future. Sadly, there is one cast member that seems to think their time in the series is over, as Ben Whishaw revealed to the BBC that he is convinced that his time as Q is at an end.
As we get closer to Bond 26’s intended 2024 shooting schedule, the question of who the new James Bond will be is obviously the first one that’ll need to be answered. After that point, all of the other pieces will fit into place. How Dr. Madeleine Swann, M, Moneypenny, and Q pan out will be important steps along the way to Commander Bond’s return to theaters; and for now we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.