Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has seemingly backtracked on his calls for the next 007 to be played by a woman.
The Irish actor, 72, was famously the fifth actor to play Bond, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 before Daniel Craig’s reign began in 2006’s Casino Royale.
Since Craig bowed out in 2021’s No Time to Die, speculation has been rife over which A-lister will step into the fictional secret agent’s shiny shoes, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson currently the front-runner.
However, many have suggested a change in sex for the role, calling for women to not only be side characters as the beautiful Bond Girls but to take the helm as the main Secret Service character.
Previously, Brosnan threw his support behind the proposed changes, exclaiming to The Hollywood Reporter in 2019: ‘Yes!
‘I think we’ve watched the guys do it for the last 40 years. Get out of the way, guys, and put a woman up there.’
He added that it would be ‘exhilarating’ and ‘exciting’ to see a woman take over after decades of male Bonds.
But now, the Mamma Mia! star looks to have done a U-turn.
In a new interview to promote his Thursday Murder Club film, co-starring Dame Helen Mirren, Brosnan told Saga Magazine: ‘Oh, I think it has to be a man.’
He continued: ‘I wish (Amazon) them well. I’m so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character.
‘I adore the world of James Bond. It’s been very good to me. It’s the gift that keeps giving.
‘And I’m just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying, “Show us what you’re going to do”.’
His comments come after Amazon MGM Studios took creative control over the 007 franchise, and it was revealed last month that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight would be writing the script for the next film. Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will also direct.
Fellow actor Dame Helen is also championing a male Bond, keen to keep with tradition despite her proud ‘feminist’ status.
The Oscar-winning actress, 80, shared: ‘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.’
Dame Helen previously told The Standard that ‘the whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism’ and added: ‘Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service; they always have been.’
Meanwhile, Brosnan has remained vocal about Bond’s future since it emerged that there was a vacancy, sharing his advice for the next actor to step up to the challenge.
‘There’s so many great actors out there who could portray this character. I have no idea who, I have no idea. I wish whoever it is great success.’
And while he previously expressed interest in returning to the role himself as a ‘romantic notion’, he later ruled it out.
Brosnan later admitted to GQ that he felt it ‘was best left to another man, really. Fresh blood’.
We currently have no idea when to expect the big announcement that will fully launch Bond’s next era.
Until then, rumours will have to keep swirling, with names such as Theo James, Henry Cavill, Jack Lowden, James Norton, Josh O’Connor, Regé-Jean Page, and Paul Mescal in the mix with the bookies.
Taylor-Johnson, 35, though, has been the frontrunner for a long time, only fuelling speculation when he recently penned a deal with Omega, the luxury watch brand that has featured in Bond films since 1995’s Golden Eye.
Then, at the 28 Years Later premiere, he played coy when Deadline quizzed him on his next project.
‘I can’t talk about it,’ he replied before being escorted away.
The identity of the next Bond Girl is also uncertain, but hot faves at the moment are Sydney Sweeney, Zendaya, Eve Hewson, Nicola Coughlan, and Michelle Keegan.
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