Ex-James Bond Pierce Brosnan Admits He'd Be “Interested” in Playing 007 Again (But Probably Won't)
CultureThe actor, 71, calls it a “romantic notion”—but if Amazon's going to milk this franchise for all it's worth, why can't we get a one-last-mission Old Man Bond movie?By Jack KingMarch 7, 2025Save this storySaveSave this storySaveIn conversation with GQ earlier this week, Pierce Brosnan offered his take on his hypothetical return to the role of James Bond, a long dreamt-about casting in the minds of online superfans. “I've heard of that. Of course, how could I not be interested?” he said, asked whether he was aware of the online sentiment towards him taking one last ride in the Aston Martin, and whether he would be keen to reprise his defining role.Somewhere on a distant island surrounded by a sea of ravenous laser sharks and nuclear-tipped sea mines, Jeff Bezos' pupils turned into dollar signs. It's #BrosBack, baby! Only, maybe not: By the end of his answer, Brosnan's enthusiasm seemed to waver, as he concluded that though it would be a “rather romantic notion and idea,” the role is now “best left to another man, really.” And look, Brosnan is probably right. While fan service can be a bit of fun in small doses—a post-credits cameo here, a line of dialogue there—the present struggles of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has leaned into stunt casting during its mediocre multiverse era, serves as object proof that it shouldn't be prioritized over rich, quality storytelling.On the other hand, it feels inevitable that Amazon MGM Studios, which is now in full control of the series' destiny after long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson stepped away from creative duties, will want to get their money's worth out of the IP into which they have invested billions of dollars. This is the future that has so many Bond fans in a fright: it is the present media trend to universe-ify everything, and the perception is that Broccoli and Wilson were the final roadblocks preventing that from happening to the world's longest-running film franchise. But of course Amazon will want to wring out as many spin-offs, sequels, prequels, TV shows, and anything else that they possibly can, be it to attract more Prime Video subscriptions or ticket sales at the box office—they need to recoup their return at some point.So, if there are going to be a bazillion Bond-related properties hitting screens in the near future, why not make one of them an Old Man Bold spin-off starring Brosnan? You'd be killing quite a few Scaramangas with one golden bullet. First off, after 25 mainline Bond films, the series is in dire need of reinterpretation, if not complete long-term reinvention. As Logan brought new life to comic-book films with its melancholy take on an aging Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finding new purpose on the brink of death, a return to Brosnan's Bond—no doubt teeming with regret after years of committing state-sanctioned assassinations and hollow affairs—could be emotionally ripe territory to explore. In the right hands, it would offer the opportunity to subvert the tropes we best associate with Bond while questioning his legacy. A continuation of the themes explored in the later Craig era, sure, but Old Bond will have been left to broil in his trauma stew for another couple of decades. Potent stuff.I'm loathe to get too much into fan-fiction territory, but imagine the scene. We meet a lonely, aging Bond, who has probably retired away in Jamaica, steeped in guilt for the missions he fluffed, and the women he failed to save. He's an alcoholic who has to gobble down a handful of prescription pills each morning just to get out of bed. He is haunted by ghosts, awoken every night by the sound of Alec Trevelyan's screams as he was crushed to death in Cuba. Every evening, he studies the PPK on his kitchen table—sometimes, after smashing enough glasses of bourbon, he sticks it to his head. But he's too cowardly to take the easy way out. With all hope lost, a message arrives from MI6: England needs him one last time…OK, fine—that basically just sounds like No Time to Die. (Phoebe Waller-Bridge's lawyers have just emailed me a cease and desist.) But the point is that, though such an exercise would probably just feel like empty money-grabbing, there is a way of mining nostalgia effectively, insofar as it doesn't feel exploitative—that there is actually a dramatic purpose driving it. If Amazon can find a way to draw up a Brosnan Bond spin-off that ticks that box first and foremost, count me in. The same goes for a one-off Idris Bond spin-off, actually, as long as we're not always doing the “Old Bond” thing. But please Amazon, whatever you do, no more Road to a Million.This story originally appeared in British GQ.
In conversation with GQ earlier this week, Pierce Brosnan offered his take on his hypothetical return to the role of James Bond, a long dreamt-about casting in the minds of online superfans. “I've heard of that. Of course, how could I not be interested?” he said, asked whether he was aware of the online sentiment towards him taking one last ride in the Aston Martin, and whether he would be keen to reprise his defining role.
Somewhere on a distant island surrounded by a sea of ravenous laser sharks and nuclear-tipped sea mines, Jeff Bezos' pupils turned into dollar signs. It's #BrosBack, baby! Only, maybe not: By the end of his answer, Brosnan's enthusiasm seemed to waver, as he concluded that though it would be a “rather romantic notion and idea,” the role is now “best left to another man, really.” And look, Brosnan is probably right. While fan service can be a bit of fun in small doses—a post-credits cameo here, a line of dialogue there—the present struggles of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has leaned into stunt casting during its mediocre multiverse era, serves as object proof that it shouldn't be prioritized over rich, quality storytelling.
On the other hand, it feels inevitable that Amazon MGM Studios, which is now in full control of the series' destiny after long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson stepped away from creative duties, will want to get their money's worth out of the IP into which they have invested billions of dollars. This is the future that has so many Bond fans in a fright: it is the present media trend to universe-ify everything, and the perception is that Broccoli and Wilson were the final roadblocks preventing that from happening to the world's longest-running film franchise. But of course Amazon will want to wring out as many spin-offs, sequels, prequels, TV shows, and anything else that they possibly can, be it to attract more Prime Video subscriptions or ticket sales at the box office—they need to recoup their return at some point.
So, if there are going to be a bazillion Bond-related properties hitting screens in the near future, why not make one of them an Old Man Bold spin-off starring Brosnan? You'd be killing quite a few Scaramangas with one golden bullet. First off, after 25 mainline Bond films, the series is in dire need of reinterpretation, if not complete long-term reinvention. As Logan brought new life to comic-book films with its melancholy take on an aging Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finding new purpose on the brink of death, a return to Brosnan's Bond—no doubt teeming with regret after years of committing state-sanctioned assassinations and hollow affairs—could be emotionally ripe territory to explore. In the right hands, it would offer the opportunity to subvert the tropes we best associate with Bond while questioning his legacy. A continuation of the themes explored in the later Craig era, sure, but Old Bond will have been left to broil in his trauma stew for another couple of decades. Potent stuff.
I'm loathe to get too much into fan-fiction territory, but imagine the scene. We meet a lonely, aging Bond, who has probably retired away in Jamaica, steeped in guilt for the missions he fluffed, and the women he failed to save. He's an alcoholic who has to gobble down a handful of prescription pills each morning just to get out of bed. He is haunted by ghosts, awoken every night by the sound of Alec Trevelyan's screams as he was crushed to death in Cuba. Every evening, he studies the PPK on his kitchen table—sometimes, after smashing enough glasses of bourbon, he sticks it to his head. But he's too cowardly to take the easy way out. With all hope lost, a message arrives from MI6: England needs him one last time…
OK, fine—that basically just sounds like No Time to Die. (Phoebe Waller-Bridge's lawyers have just emailed me a cease and desist.) But the point is that, though such an exercise would probably just feel like empty money-grabbing, there is a way of mining nostalgia effectively, insofar as it doesn't feel exploitative—that there is actually a dramatic purpose driving it. If Amazon can find a way to draw up a Brosnan Bond spin-off that ticks that box first and foremost, count me in. The same goes for a one-off Idris Bond spin-off, actually, as long as we're not always doing the “Old Bond” thing. But please Amazon, whatever you do, no more Road to a Million.
This story originally appeared in British GQ.
