Once Upon a Spy’s original ending.

Been doing some digging on the writing process for the Bond films recently. Stumbled across a tidbit I don’t think I’ve read about before. Knowing full well Skyfall was originally to be Once Upon a Spy, with M to have been blackmailed by a former KGB agent turned Russian oligarch who she had an affair with during her time in West Berlin, but the original ending was to occur in the Swiss Alps, with Bond being forced to kill her. Something very intriguing about that. Not that I’d wanted that kind of ending for Dench’s M, but certainly something I’d be curious to see on screen. Shades of Fleming’s Octopussy and The Man With The Golden Gun.

Interesting indeed, But I think I prefer her getting to 'go down swinging' in SF.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Interesting indeed, But I think I prefer her getting to 'go down swinging' in SF.

Agreed. However, who's to say such a plot, or some version of it, couldn't be the basis for some future Bond film?

I agree the final version of Skyfall’s third act is the perfect sunset for Dench’s M. However seeing Bond having to kill a more morally dubious M could be a refreshing change of pace... if done correctly. Perhaps NTTD could have ended that way instead, with Fiennes’ M needing to atone for the failure of his bioweapon program.

Sounds better than NTTD. Could've worked for Fiennes' M because nobody's attached to him anyway.