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Daisy May Cooper is under consideration to take over from Dame Judi Dench as M in the next iteration of the James Bond franchise, per multiple reports.
The Gloucestershire-born actor and writer is best known for her West Country comedy series This Country, which she wrote and starred in.
According to The Sun, Cooper's potential casting came about after Phoebe Waller-Bridge's work on No Time to Die paved the way for more comedy in the franchise.
"Daisy is a close pal of Phoebe, whose involvement in Bond was such a success that it sparked an unlikely conversation," a source told the tabloid.
"Suddenly the production team were getting excited about the prospect of really taking 'M' in a different direction."
Eon Productions chief Barbara Broccoli is currently on the search for the next 007 after Daniel Craig's retirement.
"With Daniel [Craig] leaving, it seemed the time to start looking at changes across the board and the dynamic between Bond and 'M' is at the heart of the films," the source continued.
Daisy May Cooper could be 007's new boss (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)"So this opens the door to it being a bit lighter and more comedic going forwards - and will of course impact the direction the new 007 goes in too."
The Independent has contacted Eon Productions and Cooper for comment.
Meanwhile, The Times also cites a source confirming that Cooper is in the running for the head of MI6.
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"Daisy is a proper Rada-trained actress who everyone wants to work with," the source reportedly said. "She is funny, has bags of personality and is very hot at the minute."
M has appeared in twenty-four films across the long-running Bond saga based on Ian Fleming's famed novels. They have been portrayed by four actors so far: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes.
Cooper most recently appeared in the BBC series Am I Being Unreasonable?, which she also wrote. Sean O'Grady rated the series five stars in his review for The Independent.
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