James Bond 'No Time To Die': Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann's death has echoes of 1969 flop 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
'Bond 25' is now officially titled 'No Time To Die'. With fans speculating that a character is set to die in the upcoming movie, rumors are rife that the casualty will not be Bond, but rather the woman he is in love with. This is a striking resemblance to the plotline of the 1969 movie 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.
The '69 movie sees Bond (played by George Lazenby) fall in love with Tracy (Diana Rigg), who is revealed to be the daughter of a criminal. Near the end of the movie, he decides to settle down and marry her. However, their romance is stortlived as she is tragically killed by the villain Blofeld when he attempts to shoot Bond.
In 'Spectre', we see a similar situation play out when it came to Léa Seydoux's character, Dr. Madeline Swann. She is revealed to be the daughter of the criminal Mr. White (Jesper Christensen). Bond (Daniel Craig) and Swann eventually develop a liking for each other and she is seen riding off into the sunset with 007 in the final minutes of the movie.
She is slated to return in 'No Time To Die' and this means their relationship would have some mileage. Adding to this is the return of Christoph Waltz's Ernst Stavo Blofeld who will be the key in establishing the similarity between the upcoming installment and the '69 blockbuster.
Should Swann die in 'No Time To Die' at the hands of Blofeld, Bond will be deprived of the woman he loved for the second time since the reboot of the franchise. In 2006's 'Casino Royale', Daniel Craig's 007 falls in love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a double agent, who meets her end in the movie.
'The Quantum of Solace' and 'Skyfall' has no subplot on Bond's relationships until he meets Swann in 'Spectre'.
The movie's official logline reads: "James Bond has left active service when his friend Felix Leiter enlists his help in the search for a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that the scientist was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before".
What if the true reason to return is Swann's death? It is a possibility, but with the plot kept under wraps, we can only speculate. Killing Swann would pretty much establish a strong connection to 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' and lead to an interesting plot of revenge for the agent.
What are your thoughts on Madeline Swann dying in 'No Time To Die'? 'No Time to Die' is slated for a theatrical release on April 3, 2020, in the United Kingdom and on April 8, 2020, in the United States.