Would Pierce Brosnan Return As James Bond? The Actor Weighs In After Amazon's Deal

We've gone nearly four years without much news regarding the future of the "James Bond" franchise. Daniel Craig said goodbye to the role with the release of "No Time to Die" in 2021 but, in truth, the actor hung up his Walther PPK long before that as the film was delayed for literally years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, all eyes are on who the next 007 will be since Amazon recently gained full control of Bond. Might the future look to the past by bringing back Pierce Brosnan for one last ride? The actor is at least open to the idea. Sort of.

Brosnan recently spoke with GQ about his upcoming show "Mobland." Conversation eventually turned to "James Bond," given that Brosnan played the character in four films from "GoldenEye" to "Die Another Day" in 2002, with Craig succeeding him. Brosnan was asked if he was aware that certain sections of the internet had called for him to return as an older 007 and whether or not that would interest him. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I've heard of that. Of course, how could I not be interested? But it's a delicate situation now. I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, really. I think so. It's a rather romantic notion and idea, but I think everything changes, everything falls apart. I think that it's best left to another man, really. Fresh blood."

Undoubtedly, there will be some fresh blood as Amazon searches for a new Bond, and there are plenty of actors in the mix. But the tech company is certainly going to try and exploit the franchise for all its worth to bolster Prime Video. That means more than just one movie every few years.

Brosnan is both interested and hesitant. That's understandable. "Die Another Day" is widely considered to be one of the worst "James Bond" movies, but "GoldenEye" is amongst the best. He's also not getting any younger, as he'll be turning 72 this year. That's probably why he's graciously suggesting the producers focus on the future. That said, he's not uninterested and this could be the perfect way for Amazon to expand the scope of the franchise.

Even if a new 007 were cast tomorrow, it would probably be a few years before they could actually get a movie in theaters. And again, that's just one movie. Doing "Old Man Bond" or something along those lines with Brosnan represents the chance to do something new with the beloved spy. It would also give Brosnan, as an actor, a chance to go out on a better note. That would undoubtedly be appealing to him.

For what it's worth, Brosnan did return to the role in 2004's video game "Everything or Nothing," which was better received than his final movie, generally speaking. But even that was more than 20 years ago. Come what may, two things are absolutely true. One, Amazon is going to make a lot of "James Bond" stuff and they're going to try to get that moving sooner rather than later. Two, Brosnan is still a working actor who looks capable of suiting up as Bond one last time. Your move, Hollywood.

You can grab "The James Bond Collection" on Blu-ray from Amazon.