Dame Judi Dench scheduled to shoot Bond 23 scenes in Spring 2011

02-Dec-2009 • Skyfall

When MTV News had a chance to chat with Judi Dench (James Bond's elegant overseer, M, in six previous films), the legendary British actress said she likely won't be on set for another two years.

"I think I'm going to be needed in spring of 2011," she said. "That's a message I got. It would mean I could do something at the end of next year, something else, maybe be in the theater."

Back in late October, Daniel Craig confirmed he expects to start work on his third outing as James Bond in late 2010.

The discrepancy in the two actors' timelines is surely explained by the fact that Dench usually only appears in a handful of scenes, whereas Craig carries the entire film. So all still seems on track for a late 2011 opening.

Past "Bond" scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, as well as "Frost/Nixon" writer Peter Morgan, have been hired to pen the script. A search is still on for a director, after "Quantum of Solace" director Marc Forster passed on an opportunity to return for "Bond 23."

For her part, Dench can't wait for the chance to reunite with Craig. "I just think he'll go on from strength to strength," she said. "He's a fantastically good actor."

Thanks to `Quantumofsolace007` & `SpecialWindler` for the alert.