Pierce Brosnan believes one of his former co-stars would make a great James Bond.
The “GoldenEye” star famously played the secret agent in four films and recently tipped his cap to fellow Irish actor Cillian Murphy for the role. Brosnan has since heard the rumors of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s potential casting, however, and couldn’t agree more.
“I think the man has the chops, the talent, and the charisma to play Bond, very much so,” said Brosnan during a recent appearance on “The Ray D’Arcy Show” on RTE Radio 1. “Ironically, he was in one of the movies that I made.”
Brosnan explained that he and his late producing partner, Beau Marie St. Clair, had started a production company in the 1990s named Irish DreamTime and “made movies like ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’” — and cast Taylor-Johnson in one of his first big roles in 2009.
“One of the first movies we made, one of the earliest movies, was ‘The Greatest,’ and he was in it,” said Brosnan. “And he was the greatest in it … So, yes, I read the news about his possibilities of being a Bond, so I would definitely tip my hat to the fellow.”
Brosnan’s tenure as Bond began with the acclaimed “GoldenEye” in 1995 and ended with a critically panned entry in 2002. While he was first offered the role in the ’80s, Brosnan was forced to fulfill his “Remington Steele” contract at the time — but he got another chance.
“It came back ’round,” he said on the show. “And that was ‘GoldenEye.’ So it was my destiny, I guess, to play this role. And it’s a gift that keeps giving, I’m very proud of the work and it was a very challenging moment in time because it had been dormant for six years.”
Brosnan recalled thinking if the world really needed “another James Bond” at the time, only for it to respond “with open arms.” His successor Daniel Craig faced similar concerns before debuting as Bond in 2006, only for his exit in 2021 to spawn a renewed quest.
While potential candidates like Idris Elba appear to be off the table, only rumors about Bond’s future currently exist. Taylor-Johnson already seems more than prepared, however, as he recently reacted to the rumors with the class and aggression 007 is known for.
“I can only really talk about the things I’m going to show and tell,” he told Rolling Stone last week, adding: “I don’t feel like I need to have a future drawn out for me. I feel like: whatever’s drawn out for me, I can fuckin’ do better.”