Axed James Bond Return Would Have Achieved What Only 2 Actors Have Managed Since 1962

Summary Michelle Yeoh was set to return to the James Bond franchise in Die Another Day - a rare feat for Bond girls.

Yeoh turned down the cameo, maintaining the tradition of Bond girls rarely appearing in multiple movies.

Her decision was likely the right choice, as a small role in the criticized Die Another Day may have hindered her career.

Michelle Yeoh very nearly returned to the James Bond franchise, and her comeback would have achieved a feat only two actors have managed across all James Bond movies. Michelle Yeoh joined the James Bond franchise as Wai Lin in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, and entering the pantheon of so-called "Bond girls" immediately propelled her to the international stage. Yeoh would later appear in classics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha on her road to Oscars success for Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2023, but she almost made an unexpected stop along the way.

According to Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori, the last of Pierce Brosnan's James Bond movies initially planned to bring Yeoh back. Wai Lin would have assisted 007 as part of the movie's Hong Kong sequence, and the idea got as far as discussions with the actor herself, but Tamahori acknowledges, "She [Yeoh] turned it down. She didn't wanna play a small part." Had the winds of fate blown in the opposite direction, however, Michelle Yeoh would be just the third actor to achieve an impressive feat within James Bond's cinematic universe.

Related All 007 Agents In James Bond Movies & Books Explained Along with James Bond, there have been a dozen characters who've been given the 007 designation in the long-running spy franchise.

Only 2 "Bond Girls" Have Returned For Multiple Movies In 60 Years

Michelle Yeoh Would Have Made It Three

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As a consequence of 007's promiscuity, the various women he encounters typically don't get a second mission. Standard procedure is that James Bond ends his movies in a female character's arms, then said female character goes completely unmentioned in the following release, allowing the British super-spy to embark upon his next romantic liaison. Only two of Bond's romantic interests have managed to avoid that fate.

If Michelle Yeoh had agreed to Wai Lin's guest spot in Die Another Day, she would have become the first Bond girl to feature in multiple movies since Eunice Gayson.

Eunice Gayson portrayed Sylvia Trench in Dr. No, then made a fleeting return as the same character in its sequel, From Russia With Love. 007 and Trench evidently drifted apart before Goldfinger, as Gayson never returned to the franchise. Across the 22 official EON releases thereafter, any James Bond love interest lucky enough to reach the end credits of their movie alive also received the "offscreen breakup" treatment. That streak remained unbroken until No Time To Die in 2021, which reunited Daniel Craig's Bond with Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann from Spectre.

If Michelle Yeoh had agreed to Wai Lin's guest spot in Die Another Day, she would have become the first Bond girl to feature in multiple movies since Eunice Gayson. In the modern era, Yeoh would be the third overall alongside Gayson and Seydoux - an astoundingly small club, considering the longevity of the James Bond franchise and the number of other recurring allies in 007's contacts list.

Related How No Time To Die Ended The "Bond Girl" Trope For Good Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, No Time To Die, ended the sexist "Bond Girl" trope and made the Bond franchise all the better for it.

Despite not being the first, Yeoh's prospective return in Die Another Day would have broken new ground. Sylvia Trench's brief From Russia With Love part was barely enough to be described as a cameo, meaning Wai Lin would have been the earliest two-time 007 love interest to actively, directly assist the spy in successive films. Ultimately, that honor went to Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann instead.

Why Michelle Yeoh's James Bond Return Wouldn't Have Worked

It's Hard To Argue That Yeoh Didn't Make The Right Choice

Michelle Yeoh reprising the role that kickstarted her Hollywood reign sounds like a tempting proposition indeed, and would have perhaps elevated the largely unloved Die Another Day. On the other hand, a cameo in Pierce Brosnan's swansong might have hindered Michelle Yeon's movie momentum more than helping it. Die Another Day received criticism for its more outlandish tone, and remains among the least acclaimed James Bond movies with a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Michelle Yeoh, fresh from her success in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, arguably dodged a bullet.

The fact that Michelle Yeoh's planned role in Die Another Day was only minor further suggests turning down a comeback was the right call. Die Another Day could only have done justice to Wai Lin by keeping her as a main supporting character - the same route later taken by Madeleine Swann in No Time To Die. While Michelle Yeoh would have boosted Die Another Day's star power and provided a rare, fan-pleasing moment of James Bond continuity, Wai Lin only getting a short cameo would have represented an injustice to both Yeoh and her character, especially after Halle Berry's Jinx effectively replaced her.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes