Not only did John Cleese’s M not return in Casino Royale, but the character also wasn’t recast since the tone of this self-serious 007 outing was too taciturn for an appearance from MI6’s resident tech geek. However, 2006’s Casino Royale threw a lot of the franchise’s conventions out the window. 007 may not always be driving across frozen lakes in invisible cars, but viewers can be certain that there will be a chase sequence or two. Bond might not rely on cartoony gadgets as much as he used to, but he is still guaranteed to have a glamorous, potentially duplicitous love interest. As much as the franchise has changed over the years, viewers who show up to a James Bond movie still expect to see certain tropes appear in every outing of the series. While Casino Royale does see James Bond miss a very obvious opportunity to say his catchphrase, there is a reason for this surprising choice.
