'The Night Manager' star Olivia Colman brushes off rumours that she's the next James Bond; wants to play M instead

With the identity of the next James Bond still hanging in limbo, another name has made it to the short list – and it’s a woman.

Twitter users spotted the potential of Olivia Colman to play the iconic Agent 007 role after she starred in John le Carré's “The Night Manager.” In the mini-series, the 42-year-old actress played pregnant spy Angela Burr. She sent the social media abuzz, most of whom clamour for Colman to take over the character of James Bond.

Colman heard about the hot topic, but she didn’t believe that the fans were serious. “I think that’s sort of a comedy tweet,” she said in an interview with Deadline. She’s not dissing the whole James Bond possibility, though, but instead of playing the agent, Colman would prefer to be M, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service. The role has been identified with A-list actress Judi Dench, until Ralph Fiennes took over in 2012.

“I’d love to be M one day,” Colman claimed. “Well, maybe when Ralph Fiennes doesn’t want to do it anymore, maybe he’ll give me a ring.” She also reckoned that “Thor: Ragnarok” star Tom Hiddleston would be the “perfect specimen” for the coveted role.

The next James Bond movie might not be out until late 2018, but there is still no official news whether Daniel Craig would reprise his role as 007. Almost a year ago, Craig caught the industry by surprise after saying that he’d rather slash his wrists than do another Bond film. As a result, fans are not only speculating who can best play the suave and skillful spy, but also defending their bets. So far, the strongest contenders include Tom Hiddleston, along with Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Damian Lewis, Jason Statham, Michael Fassbender and Henry Cavill.

[READ: “The next James Bond: Fans weigh in on Daniel Craig's replacement”]

Hiddleston comes up as one of the favourites to play James Bond, and he has earlier hinted that he’ll welcome the role when it’s offered to him. “I simply love the theme tune, the tropes and the mythology. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity. And I’m very aware of the physicality of the job. I would not take it lightly,” he told The Sunday Times.

The 35-year-old actor is currently busy with his upcoming films due in 2017. This includes "Kong: Skull Island" and "Thor: Ragnarok," where he will be reprising his role as Loki.