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I'd like to have her as a recurring character too. Again though, it'd be plausible having her as more of an assistant who provides the 00s with equipment as well as admin assistance etc. (sort of a "here is your plane ticket to ___, James, and here's your new watch from Q Branch...") I mean, there's no reason the Bond films have to have a Q (there isn't explicitly such a character in the novels) and I feel any future MI6 characters need to have a bit more function in the story... even in the Craig era there were times where Tanner and even Moneypenny felt a bit unnecessary.
As for any sort of chemistry between Bond and such a character, it could work but it has to be handled right. The dynamic between Ponsonby and Bond in the novels was flirtatious on Bond's part (but more in a cheeky school-boyish type way, highly unlikely to be pursued) but she was rather maternal if anything towards the 00s and very straight-laced as a secretary. It's Moneypenny who always responded to Bond's quips and seemed less outwardly professional her role.
Ponsonby is a though one to adapt, come to think of it: you can't make her too similar to Moneypenny.
True. Over time Moneypenny has morphed away from Fleming's young, gossipy and vixen-like side character. There's a sense that even when Lois Maxwell played the character Moneypenny was written as being more professional, savy about office dynamics, and was less flirtatious with Bond during the Moore era. Certainly by the time Samantha Bond took over there was a sense that Moneypenny had more of an 'eye roll' attitude towards Bond's flirtations, albeit with the chemistry still there. The Craig era employed a much more platonic relationship between Bond/Moneypenny after SF, and perhaps bears more similarities to a Bond/Ponsonby dynamic. Still though, I always got the sense that Ponsonby truly cared about Bond and the other 00s in the novels. Not in a romantic way, but because she liked them and ultimately knew they might not return from their missions. Perhaps having a character who truly cares/understands Bond as a person and even worries about his wellbeing would set her apart from even the Craig era Moneypenny.
The problem with Idris Elbas as M is that he'd be cooler and more capable than many a Bond actor that it would be too distracting for the audience. This happened to some degree with Hugh Grant as the boss in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
"listun jimmy me kidda, ay tell yous ter br'n this equipment o' yosh back in one piece, otherwise ay wul make yous pick up yer parts like a puzzle? got de meesage, yous wee kidda?"
Emily Watson (M), Jenna Coleman (Moneypenny) and Bill Nighy (Q)
or
Stephen Graham (M), Daisy Ridley (Moneypenny) and Chris Barrie (Q)
Riz Ahmed as Q
Colin Salmon as M
I think they'd have to cast a Tanner or Villiers around a similar age to the new Bond, perhaps a little older than the new man
I think it would ultimately depend on how his M and the new Bond are depicted. I get the sense Elba would play Bond very differently to a hypothetical M. But yes, he does have a very commanding screen presence - more overtly so than someone like Fiennes, for instance, although arguably that's another actor who could have played Bond in his youth and that turned out fine. Ideally his M would have just enough of a role in the plot while remaining 'in the shadows' of MI6 as it were - not globe trotting or accompanying Bond to places like Dench's M in the Craig era.
Anyway, Elba as M been suggested so many times that I can weirdly see it happening. I think there's a desire for a different kind of M who A) not only commands Bond's respect, but also has a more respectful relationship with him and B) isn't quite as morally ambiguous as we've seen in the recent past (although I think NTTD took this aspect of the character to the extreme).
But I'm not sure about Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw, I don't know but it's just my feeling everytime I look at them, there's a possibility that they're not likely to return in their roles, but still hoping that I'm wrong, they did well, I'd also liked to see them return as a part of continuity.
I think Ralph Fiennes could come back, because M is a job title. He could finally play Sir Miles, in a new timeline. Same with Major Boothroyd. Moneypenny, and Bill Tanner really aren’t job title (hopefully never will be). One character I feel that could (and arguably should) become reoccurring is Blofeld, at least on the level of Felix Leiter.
Indeed, and it's time to stop. Start fresh with everyone as if the previous films never existed. Otherwise Moneypenny and Q who were younger than Bond in the DC series will now be older than Bond in the new film.
I doubt the producers will bring him back, as much as I'd love that. I'd also love to see Naomie Harris back as Moneypenny, but I think they'll recast younger because Bond will be younger and I don't think they'll want Bond's age to be acknowledged too heavily.
I think the next era of Bond will have more scaled down casting in general
I do get where Wishaw was coming from about the NTTD scene though. He did say that it wasn't discussed with him beforehand and he chose not to bring it up. It does beg the question whether they would have included it at all if Wishaw himself wasn't openly gay. It's also debatable whether it was a detail included to reinforce the former point I mentioned or whether it was a way of minimally including gay characters in a big franchise that feels... I dunno, 'box ticking' 'safe'? He probably would be a bit more switched onto that aspect than perhaps a heterosexual actor.
Off topic, but I'll always considered Blofeld not recognising Bond in OHMSS perfectly justified, even in-universe: let's just assume that when they met in the volcano he still had that Japanese makeup.
I'm not really sure if even in universe the 'Japanese make-up' was going to fool anyone (Blofeld recognises Bond instantly for what it's worth).
Also, let's be honest, it's probably best that the film downplayed Bond being disguised as a Japanese fisherman, haha. Instead of this:
We could have had something like this...
Well, he recognise him as Bond, but he's still not "au naturel". He's Bond... disguised as a Japanese. So he looks like a fake Japanese. In the novel, even Blofeld is hesitant about Bond's identity. So in the movie continuity, Blofeld meets Bond first as a badly disguised Japanese, then as Sir Hillary Bray.
Anyway, maybe I'm reading way too much into it, but I always thought the discrepancies between YOLT and OHMSS are far less shocking than between the latter and DAF. I can just buy that Bond and Blofeld met before and yet don't recognise each other. But that they're in almost civil terms in DAF after the events of the previous movie? Not a chance!
*Thandiwe, but yes I would like to see that.
Me Three