Naomie Harris is the New Miss Moneypenny

The “Bond” franchise has not been hailed for its continuity by any means, but a few characters have been regulars in 007’s universe, namely his fellow workers at MI6. Since MGM “rebooted” the character with Daniel Craig and “Casino Royale” in 2006, one of those staples has been missing: Miss Moneypenny. But no longer, as Naomie Harris (“28 Days Later,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) is expected to play the role.

U.K. publication The Daily Mail broke the news; reporter Baz Bamigboye has generally been correct about Bond rumors. The article seems to imply that Javier Barden and Ralph Fiennes are confirmed, but we’ll just wait and see about that; Bardem is still connected to Ron Howard’s “The Dark Tower” project.

Last month, Harris had met with director Sam Mendes and others regarding playing a “Bond girl,” but this would be no ordinary Bond girl. Moneypenny, a Lieutennant RN, was always one to take James up on some dry witty banter. In other words, she was always the one to call Bond out on his shit. The role was made famous by Lois Maxwell, who portrayed her from the first film, “Dr. No” until “A View to A Kill” in 1985. She was most recently played by Samantha Bond during the Pierce Brosnan Era.

Harris most recently starred in Danny Boyle’s National Theatre production of “Frankenstein.” She’s demonstrated some good versatility in her few notable roles.

The still-untitled “Bond 23” is expected to be ready for a Nov. 9, 2012 release. Casting should be confirmed with (hopefully) a title by summer’s end.