Pierce Brosnan will not return for his fifth film as James Bond, he has confirmed:
- Brosnan, who has appeared in four Bond blockbusters, said he agreed to film a fifth but was "gutted" when filmmakers changed their minds.
"When they told me, I was angry and the conversation was pretty short and sweet," he told Jonathan Ross' TV show.
Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor have been mooted as possible replacements.
Brosnan first played the famous spy in 1995's GoldenEye, followed by Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
"They invited me back, and they changed their minds half-way through negotiations. It's hard to find the truth," he said on BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
....Brosnan recently said Irish hellraiser Colin Farrell, star of Minority Report, Phone Booth and forthcoming epic Alexander, would be his choice to be next. [BBC]
I would guess age and money — not necessarily in that order — were the factors here. I liked Brosnan as Bond, but I said that about Sean Connery and the franchise has marched on wthout him just fine. I think Brosnan was the closest of the bunch to the literary Bond, but what do I know? At 28, Farrell seems too young, but Connery was young when he started as well. By now, these movies are pretty much about the special effects and babes anyway.
Article comments
1 - TDavid
I have heard rumours about Hugh Jackman too, but I guess he's out? Anybody know?
2 - Victor Plenty
Hugh Jackman rumours may have been wishful thinking by his fans.
Not sure I really care who plays Bond next. Mr. Brosnan has handled the role well, but I've fallen away from the series ever since Tomorrow Never Dies, when the producers made the criminal artistic misstep of relegating Teri Hatcher to that minor recurring role in Bond films, "Beautiful Woman Who Gets Killed Just To Prove The Villain Is Evil."
Now that the producers of the series have chosen to insult Mr. Brosnan, after he helped them revive a flailing franchise into a going concern once again, I'm even less likely to want to give them any of my money.
3 - Eric Olsen
at least they have a little better continuity than Batman
4 - Victor Plenty
Faint praise indeed, Eric!
"Better continuity than Batman" is like "better animation than South Park" or "better respect for fans than George Lucas" or "better ethics than Enron."
5 - Eric Olsen
I make small joke - no?