Dench to reprise Marigold role?

Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith could be returning to the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for a sequel, it has been rumoured.

Co-stars such as Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie and Dev Patel "all want to come back" for the follow-up, reported Vulture.

Screenwriter Ol Parker is expected to send over a script for the second instalment because film studio Fox Searchlight is keen for a sequel.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, directed by John Madden, featured the ensemble cast as a group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, run by Dev's character.

The film, which was based on Deborah Moggach's novel These Foolish Things, was a box office hit when it was released in the UK last February and the US in May.

Dame Judi, currently on screens as M in the latest James Bond movie Skyfall, will next star in drama Better Living Through Chemistry with Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde, while Dame Maggie will be seen in Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, Quartet.