Naomie Harris to play Moneypenny in Bond 23?

We've known for some time that Naomie Harris has been in talks to play a Bond girl in the the next 007 movie.

Now, according to a report by the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, we hear she's set to play M's secretary (and James Bond's flirt-object) Moneypenny.

The iconic character has been played by five actresses since Dr No in 1962, if you include appearances in unofficial Bond movies Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again .

Lois Maxwell played the character across 14 movies, before Caroline Bliss took over for the Timothy Dalton films. Samantha Bond was the Brosnan-era Moneypenny

The character hasn't appeared in the Bond movies during Craig's tenure, but that looks set to change.

Harris would be a smart choice for Moneypenny, with the kind of understated good looks and quiet intelligence that should provide more than a match for the swaggering secret agent.

Bamigboye also confirms that Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes, who have both been rumoured to be attached, are locked in.

Surely it can't be too long before we get some official casting announcements (and a proper title) for this one.

If these reports are accurate, then this Sam Mendes-directed instalment is shaping up to be one of the classiest blockbusters in production, and should easily make audiences forget the messy Quantum Of Solace .

Bond 23 will open on 26 October 2012.

Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.