One James Bond Actor's Run Was A Mixed Bag, Which Is Why He Needs One Final Movie

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Pierce Brosnan as James Bond smirks as he stands by a door in GoldenEye

MGM/UA Distribution

Whether we like it or not, we’ll soon be confronted by some sort of James Bond media onslaught. With Amazon finally wresting the 007 franchise from longtime custodians Barabara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the company is surely preparing some sort of shared on-screen universe, which will almost certainly include multiple James Bond spin-off series and films. The thought of the longest-running cinematic property being fed into the streaming machine to be wrung for all it’s worth isn’t exactly the most enticing proposition for fans. Indeed, this was seemingly part of the reason Broccoli took so long to relinquish control of the franchise, with the former Bond producer reportedly having recoiled at the mention of the word “content.” Now, with Broccoli and Wilson out of the way, Amazon is free to do whatever it wishes with the Bond saga.

While many fans have reacted to the idea of Bond spin-offs in the same way Broccoli blanched at the “C” word, there is one popular idea for such a spin-off which might actually be a good one: Old Man Bond. If you pay any attention to the discourse surrounding the James Bond franchise, you’ll no doubt have heard about this idea, which would essentially see former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan return to the role he left behind after 2002’s “Die Another Day.” As is to be expected, the internet is teeming with takes on the subject, with many fans fervently arguing against the concept. It’s not hard to see why, either. Bringing back the man who fronted what is almost universally acknowledged as the worst Bond movie ever made? Well, that might just be the worst idea since snuffing out Daniel Craig’s grounded spy with a barrage of missile fire in “No Time to Die.”

But the more you think about a new Brosnan-led Bond film, the more appealing it sounds. In fact, the very reason many would argue that he should never come near 007 again is exactly the reason he absolutely should.

Pierce Brosnan was a great Bond whose movies got progressively worse

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond looks out of his invisible Aston Martin in Die Another Day

MGM

If, like me, you grew up in the ’90s, then you likely came of age with Pierce Brosnan as your James Bond. His debut in 1995’s “GoldenEye” not only reinvigorated the franchise (which had struggled with the more lugubrious Timothy Dalton-led movies), but it also produced one of the greatest video games ever made in the form of “GoldenEye 007” for the Nintendo64, ensuring that Brosnan’s inaugural 007 outing became a cultural phenomenon.

As each successive Brosnan movie arrived, however, things got progressively worse, until “Die Another Day” brought cinema’s most enduring franchise to its knees in 2002. Not that IMDb should be considered an arbiter of these sorts of things, but not only is “Die Another Day” listed as the worst Bond film ever made on the site, but at the time of writing Brosnan also has the lowest average score for his Bond movies than any other actor in the saga’s history. “Die Another Day” similarly came in last in /Film’s own ranking of the best and worst Bond movies, and if you were to take a look at any identical rankings elsewhere online (which, let’s be honest, is about as unnecessary as a Moneypenny spin-off series), you’d probably find the film in dead last there, too.

In all, then, I think it’s fair to say that Brosnan really only has one great Bond movie to his name. The others were forgettable or downright awful — though I maintain that “Die Another Day” is actually far more entertaining that the later Daniel Craig films. But Brosnan was surely never the problem. In fact, Sean Connery aside, he was about as archetypically Bond as you could imagine an actor being. Effortlessly suave with an element of repressed rage simmering below the surface, Brosnan’s Bond was the best part of every film he was in, especially when those films just weren’t very good. Just as Henry Cavill was a great Superman who never got a great Superman film, Brosnan was a great Bond who got one great Bond movie, and deserved to go out on a better note than the atonal cacophony struck by “Die Another Day.” Now, however, he can.

Pierce Brosnan deserves another shot at Bond

Pierce Brosnan's Conrad Harrigan stares intensely in Mobland

Luke Varley/Paramount+

There are several reasons why you might object to giving Pierce Brosnan another shot at Bond. Aside from opposing the idea of a spin-off in and of itself and the fact that Brosnan’s last outing in the tux is unanimously considered the most dismal entry in the 26-film saga, you could perhaps argue that Brosnan’s return would necessitate a return to the tone struck by his films, which were decidedly more light-hearted than those of his predecessor and his replacement. While it has been said that the next Bond movie should move away from the gloom and grit of the Daniel Craig era and embrace a lighter tone, reinstalling Brosnan is almost certainly not the way to do that. But that’s not what an “Old Man Bond” movie should be.

In March 2025, Brosnan visited Aston Martin to pose with his old V12 Vanquish from “Die Another Day” (yes, the one that turned invisible). Publicity photos show the former franchise star posing in a rather fetching sports jacket looking, it has to be said, as suave as ever. These images alone could surely sell large swathes of Bond fans on the idea of a film featuring an older 007. But just in case you need a little more convincing, consider what Amazon could do with this refined older gent of a Bond.

Imagine a 007 movie with the tone of, say, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” — that is, a true character study of an aging Bond with a reflective, almost elegiac aura akin to the John le Carré adaptation. Such a film would also allow Brosnan to show off his still razor-sharp acting skills (watch the man in Paramount+’s “Mobland” and tell me he still hasn’t got it) while adding new levels of nuance to Bond. I’d watch that. In fact, I think a lot of people would watch that, and, frankly, I think the man deserves it. Not only that, but I also think it could do what “Skyfall” tried and failed to do by interrogating the idea of Bond being a relic in an age where the intelligence services have evolved. It could potentially be quite moving in its own way, and as an added bonus, Amazon could tap some writers from “Slow Horses” (the best spy show you’re not watching) to add some sardonic wit to the mix and give us something truly unique.

James Bond is just as worthy of reinterpretation as other iconic characters

Pierce Brosnan as James Bone staring intensely in Tomorrow Never Dies

MGM

Fans might argue that James Bond has never been about realism and believable spycraft — that he’s not George Smiley and that he should remain a fantasy brought to life. And while on one hand I would agree, I would also argue that Bond is every bit as worthy of reinterpretation and every bit as rich a character as someone like Batman — another cultural icon that has proven time and time again that he has the depth to be endlessly reinterpreted. Is 007 somehow lesser in that sense? I don’t think so, and while I feel “Casino Royale” (the best Bond movie) has already proven that England’s greatest spy can be successfully reimagined, I would love for Pierce Brosnan to be the one to really drive that point home, especially in light of his calamitous misfire of a swan song.

Besides Daniel Craig, the only other surviving Bond star is Timothy Dalton. Though his movies aren’t always cited as the finest in franchise history, they did at least accomplish what they set out to do by taking Bond to a darker place than he’d ever been. Brosnan’s films always felt like they could have been better than they were, and Amazon has a real chance to right that wrong now. If we’re going to get the Bond cinematic universe, then, a Brosnan-led “Old Man Bond” film, or even a series, would surely be the best possible outcome.

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