Pierce Brosnan is sharing his top requirement for the next James Bond.
The former Bond star, 71, said it was a “given” that the next actor to portray the iconic movie character must be British in a new interview with the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph.
Brosnan played Bond from 1995 to 2002 before English actor Daniel Craig took over the role in the British spy franchise in 2006. Craig, 57, appeared for the last time as the character in 2021.
Brosnan’s comments come after British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Josh O’Connor, Joe Alwyn, Theo James and Idris Elba have all been rumored to play Bond next.
On Feb. 20, it was announced that Amazon MGM Studios would be taking over creative control of Bond projects in a new joint venture with longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Brosnan said the new direction for the long-running franchise took “great courage” from producers Broccoli and Wilson, adding that it was “the right decision.”
“In this world that is moving so fast now, at the speed of light, [the takeover] does come with a certain lament,” he told The Telegraph. “I thought it was coming for some time I guess, but I think it was the right decision for Barbara and Michael.”
“It takes great courage for them to let go. They will still have a say in matters. I hope that [Amazon] handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect,” Brosnan added.
Speaking of his time playing Bond, he said, “I’m very proud to have been part of the history and the legacy of Bond and the movies that I made with Barbara and Michael. That we moved the needle, that we brought it back to life.”
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Brosnan said in a recent interview that he’d love to return as Bond one day.
“Of course, how could I not be interested?” he told GQ. “But it’s a delicate situation now. I think it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, really. I think so. It’s a rather romantic notion and idea, but I think everything changes, everything falls apart.”
“I think that it’s best left to another man, really,” he added. “Fresh blood.”
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