Pierce Brosnan Says He’d Return to the Bond Franchise

“I don’t think anyone wants to see a craggy, 72-year-old Bond, but if Villeneuve had something up his sleeve I would look at it in a heartbeat,” he says.

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in 'Goldeneye.' Photo: MGM.

Preview:

Pierce Brosnan has joked that he’d love to return to the Bond franchise.
The actor says he’d return if asked.
And his ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ co-star Helen Mirren has commented on the idea of a female Bond.

Since the news broke that A) Amazon MGM Studios took over creative control of the Bond franchise and B) ‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve was brought in to oversee development of the next big screen iteration of 007’s adventures, there has been speculation about who might play the lead.

Now, out doing press for new Netflix murder mystery movie ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, Pierce Brosnan –– who famously played Bond between 1995 and 2002 –– has weighed in on whether he’d come back. And it appears he would!

Brosnan, of course, wasn’t being entirely serious with his comments, but you can read more about what he said below…

Related Story: Why Denis Villeneuve Is A Solid Choice To Direct The New Bond Movie

What did Pierce Brosnan say about a Bond movie return?

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in 'Die Another Day.' Photo: MGM.

Talking with the Radio Times, Brosnan addressed if he thought there was still a place for him in the James Bond world:

“My wife Keely [Shaye Smith] and I have been listening to the drumbeat of expectation of who’s going to be the next James Bond. There are many great candidates out there, and I’m sure they’re going to make it a spectacle of delight. I don’t think anyone wants to see a craggy, 72-year-old Bond, but if Villeneuve had something up his sleeve I would look at it in a heartbeat. Why not? It’s great entertainment. It could be lots of laughs. Bald caps, prosthetics… who knows?”

And you know what? We’d be happy to see Brosnan taking on the role of M, the head of MI6 who is usually the one to send Bond out on his missions (and complain about his wayward tactics).

In the more recent Bond movies, the character has been played by Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes.

Yet Brosnan wasn’t the only person weighing in on the future of Bond. His ’Thursday Murder Club’ co-star Helen Mirren also broached the issue.

What did Helen Mirren say about Bond?

Helen Mirren in 'The Thursday Murder Club'. Photo Credit: Giles Keyte / Netflix. © 2025 Netflix, Inc.

According to Mirren –– who plays a former intelligence operative in ‘Thursday Murder Club’ –– and was talking to Saga magazine, she thinks that despite calls for a woman to finally play Bond, the character should stay as he is:

“I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can’t have a woman. It just doesn't work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.”

When will the next Bond movie be on screens?

While it has Villeneuve in the director’s chair and Steven Knight writing the script, we’re a ways away from an announcement on the date. We don’t even yet know who will actually be playing Bond.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’, meanwhile, lands on Netflix on August 28th.

(L to R) Sir Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim Arif, Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, author Richard Osman, Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best, Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft and director Chris Columbus on the set of 'The Thursday Murder Club'. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024. © 2025 Netflix, Inc.