I don't see it as a "failure" of Bond that M died in SF. Both Eon and Judi needed to move on to pastures new and it's not dramatic enough to have her simply retiring... how else were the writers going to 'phase her out'? Killing M off was the only way. The fact that this was going to happen was set up pretty early in the movie. I see the way it happened as being - M is in the shoot out at the lodge. If you remember her coming around the corner and firing a gun. The gun is shot out of her hand. Bond comes along and kills the gunman before he can do any more damage. He asks M 'Are you hurt?' She replies 'Only my pride. I never was a good shot!' THIS is when M receives her fatal injury but she is not even aware of it at the time. It may not have been a fatal injury if M had not had to struggle across the moors with Kincaid. I also think that the actions of Silva in the chapel hastened her end. If you remember him lifting her arms out ... I'm no doctor but maybe that does something to the blood flow and triggers some kind of pulmonary failure? So, it was not Bond's "fault" that M died. It was caused by a 'series of unfortunate incidents' that can happen in the heat of the moment in 'real life'. The point was, despite his best efforts, those he cares about can still be vulnerable. Presumably, now that Mr Fiennes is taking up the M mantle, we can have a tougher, spikier relationship between M and Bond as opposed to the softer mother / son relationship he had with Judi's M. This will be interesting to see. I like to think I can trust Eon to deliver the goods with the next Bond movie. I do not think it wise for them to think... "Well hey, Skyfall was so amazingly successful financially, let's just do exactly the same thing again!" They need to be brave and branch out again with Bond 24. It is going to be a hard task but Eon, Broccoli and Wilson should be up for that. The only thing they need to remember is - DO NOT REPLACE DANIEL!
PS. From the time that CR began filming, they wanted to show Bond as someone OTHER than the all-conquering hero. They wanted to present the idea of an "ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances." He had to be vulnerable, although the scenes on his return from Turkey still make him look hot to my mind. (He wouldn't like that - the haggardness should work!
) With Daniel playing the role, they can get the nuance they want because of his skills and subtleties as an actor.
AAAAAHHHH I might get to see Daniel!!!!!!!!!!! 
a complete and utter dimwit who probably would'nt know her own name on Mastermind. Hope they don't go for too young this time as Daniel will be an older looking mid 40's, don't want him looking like a dirty old man as Roger Moore did in his last few Bond films.
Prob not true anyway....hopefully.
.. Meaning he has the time, but will he?