Pierce Brosnan has revealed he would be “interested” in returning as James Bond as the iconic spy franchise enters a new era under Amazon’s creative control.
The 71-year-old actor, who portrayed 007 in four films between 1995 and 2002 – GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day – admitted the idea of reprising the role was “a rather romantic notion.”
However, he would love to step back into the spy’s shoes. “I’ve heard of that,” Brosnan told GQ when asked about the possibility of returning as an older version of Bond. “Of course, how could I not be interested?”
However, he’s doubtful an offer will arise: “It’s a delicate situation now,” he said, adding that on second thought maybe it was best “To let sleeping dogs lie.”
The actor, who is currently promoting his new series MobLand, a crime thriller alongside Tom Hardy and Helen Mirren, continued: “Everything changes, everything falls apart. I think that it’s best left to another man, really. Fresh blood.”
His comments come at a pivotal moment for the Bond franchise, which has been in limbo since Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die (2021).
The film ended with Bond’s dramatic death, followed by an onscreen promise that “James Bond will return.” However, no official announcements have been made regarding the next actor or film.
The future of the series has been further complicated by Amazon’s billion-dollar deal which has sparked fan anxiety with longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
According to a December 2024 report by The Wall Street Journal, the Broccoli family and Amazon reached “an impasse” over the direction of the franchise after Amazon acquired MGM Studios and the rights to distribute the Bond films in 2022.
Under Broccoli and Wilson, the children of original Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the next 007 was expected to be British, male, and in his 30s.
However, Amazon’s involvement could signal a shift in creative control, with the studio yet to confirm who will lead the franchise into its next chapter.
Speculation about the next Bond has been rife for years, with actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Norton, Josh O’Connor, and Jonathan Bailey frequently mentioned as contenders.
Taylor-Johnson, 34, was even rumoured to have filmed the iconic gun barrel sequence and been offered the role in March 2024, though insiders quickly denied the claims.
More recently, The Iron Claw star Harris Dickinson, 28, has emerged as a favourite with bookmakers, while The Brutalist actor Joe Alwyn, 34, said he would “throw his hat in the ring” for the role if given the opportunity.
Former The Witcher star Henry Cavill is also said to be back in the running. When Cavill was 22, he auditioned for the role opposite Craig impressing director Martin Campbell. “He looked great. His acting was tremendous,” Campbell told Daily Express.
“If Daniel didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young back then.”
Brosnan, whose career spans over four decades, also reflected on the freedom he now enjoys in choosing roles. “I’ve always lived an artistic life.
“So I’ve always had the good fortune to have some piece of talent that I can polish and some kind of passion for the work to go through the rough patches,” he said.
“I mean, I love what I do, and certainly now at a time in my life where I have choices and more importantly, I have the warmth and the desire to do good work, to challenge oneself, to create something that is unexpected, to create something that has value.”
The star also expressed support for Michael B. Jordan’s upcoming remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, a 1999 heist film in which Brosnan starred opposite Rene Russo.
The original 1968 version featured Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. “It’s all his for the doing and the taking,” Brosnan said of Jordan, whom he described as a “gifted actor.”
