Pierce Brosnan thinks it’s a “given” the next James Bond should be British
In the wake of Amazon-MGM taking creative control over the James Bond franchise, speculation has been rife around the future of the iconic character. In response, former Bond star Pierce Brosnan has weighed in on the future of the franchise.
Brosnan played Bond between 1994 and 2002, beginning with Goldeneye and ending with Die Another Day, after which Daniel Craig took on the role. In a new interview, the Irish actor claimed that it would be “a given” that any future actor to take on the role would be British, in keeping with the quintessentially British spy first dreamed up by Ian Fleming.
Continuing, Brosnan told the Sunday Telegraph that the Amazon-MGM takeover was the “right decision”. The company has been working in partnership with producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for decades, but the new deal will see Amazon-MGM taking on creative control throughout the franchise.
“It takes great courage for them to let go,” the former Bond star shared. “I hope that [Amazon] handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect.” In recent days, a leaked memo from Amazon-MGM appeared to confirm that the character would remain male and British.
Interestingly, the character of James Bond has been portrayed multiple times by non-British actors since its inception in the 1950s. The very first actor to play Bond on screen was the American Barry Nelson, who took on the role during the television series Climax!, arriving eight years prior to Sean Connery’s Dr. No.
In the main series of Bond films, George Lazenby was the second-ever actor to take on the role, appearing in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He hails from Australia. Meanwhile, the only other non-British actor to appear in the role has been Brosnan himself, who was born in Drogheda on the East Coast of Ireland.
Despite this, Brosnan has insisted that any future actors who might take on the role of James Bond should be British in origin, an idea which seems to have been echoed by Amazon-MGM.
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