Pierce Brosnan has voiced his concerns about the modern era of the James Bond franchise, criticising the Daniel Craig-led films for their darker tone.
Brosnan, whose last outing as Bond was in 2002’s Die Another Day, spoke to The Rake magazine about the direction the spy series has taken since then.
“I knew there had been a seismic shift, and little did I know I was going to be part of that in the curtain falling on my contract,” he said, referring to the influx of more serious action movies like The Bourne Identity, which was also released in 2002.
“I knew they had to make adjustments. They had strong competition and they haven’t reinvented it, but given it a much more muscular, dynamic twist.”
Brosnan recalls: “When I played [Bond], you have to let the audience in that this is a fantastic joke. What I am doing here, jumping off a motorcycle and catching up a plane, is completely preposterous.”
Brosnan recently endorsed Tom Hardy for the role of James Bond. “You need an actor who can put a bit of wiggle into it – that’s what makes Bond.”
Meanwhile, reports which claimed that James Bond producers were considering Idris Elba for the iconic spy role were “made up”, according to a representative. Daniel Craig is expected to vacate his position as Bond after two more films.
Elba, for his part, recently said his next role as the Hunchback of Notre Dame could “scupper” his chances of playing Bond.