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Judi Dench Reveals Daniel Craig Pushed to Kill Off M in Skyfall
Dame Judi Dench says Daniel Craig proposed killing off her character, M, in *Skyfall* (2012). Her account offers a glimpse into how the decision was made and recalls the end of her 20-year run as Bond’s boss across eight films.
In an excerpt from her memoir, Dench recalled being told at a lunch with producer Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson and director Sam Mendes that M would die. She joked that she had asked for years to leave her desk, only to be shot, and said M was first sacked by Ralph Fiennes’s character. Dench also described *Tomorrow Never Dies* as her hardest Bond film to make, citing late rewrites, including a dozen pages delivered at 10pm before a 5am call.
In short
- Dench says Craig suggested M should die in *Skyfall*.
- She played M in eight Bond films over 20 years.
- Late script rewrites made *Tomorrow Never Dies* her hardest Bond film.
Explained simply
M is the head of the British secret service in the James Bond films, giving the agent missions and overseeing his work. Judi Dench played the role from 1995 to 2012, appearing in eight Bond films.
The Bond films are made by producer Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, whose family has overseen the series for decades. In Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, M’s authority is challenged by a senior official played by Ralph Fiennes. Her death marked the end of Dench’s time in the role and a change in Bond’s leadership.