Pierce Brosnancan easily envisionCillian Murphyas Bond,James Bond. While attending the 2024 Oscar Wilde Awards, the former 007 star, Brosnan, endorsed theOppenheimeractor as the famous spy. The character was created by author Ian Fleming over 70 years ago in the 1953 novelCasino Royale. Brosnan said in an interview with theBBCwhile on the event’s red carpet:
Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond.
No Time to Die
Word spread that Brosnan suggested Murphy would make an excellent candidate to play the next 007. And theOppenheimerstar seemed a bit apprehensive about the possibility of filling the role left vacant by Daniel Craig’s departure following the deadly events ofNo Time to Die. Murphy responded to Brosnan’s endorsement by saying:
I think I’m a bit old for that.
Murphy will turn 48 years old this May. Meanwhile, Craig’s version of the British secret agent was killed off in 2021 when the actor was 53 years old, and Brosnan parted ways with the shaken-not-stirred Commander Bond when he was 49 years of age.
The Age of James Bond
Cillian Murphyshouldn’t let the fact that he’s 47 years old dissuade him from possibly taking up the mantle of James Bond should the opportunity present itself. The original 007, Sean Connery, was 52 years old (53 when it was released in 1983) when he last appeared on-screen as the British secret agent inNever Say Never Again.
But the actor who was the oldest when portraying Bond on the big screen was Roger Moore. Moore was 57 years old when he squared off againstChristopher Walken’s vile Max ZorininA View to a Kill. In fact, Moore had a bit of fun talking about his age, and how he approached the physicality of the character, while promotingA View to a Killback in a 1985 interview. Moore said (viaYouTube):
Well, you see, I’ve got these wonderful braces that hold me upright [laughs].
Every James Bond Actor, Ranked
James Bond is one of the most recognizable characters of all time. Here we take a look at each Bond actor to see which is truly shaken, not stirred.
In all seriousness, though, Moore attributed the substantial budgets that each of the 007 films received as a part of the reason most fans enjoyed the installments comprisingthe James Bond franchise. Moore said during the same sit-down:
They have always spent more and more money on making them. They don’t cheat the audience. The audience goes knowing they’re guaranteed to have a good time… we hope.
Pierce Brosnan, the Bond who so graciously endorsed Cillian Murphy as an excellent choice to play 007 in the future was originally courted to replace Moore followingA View to a Kill. Unfortunately, Brosnan’s commitment to the television seriesRemington Steeleprevented the actor from stepping into the role after Moore’s swan song in 1985. However, after Timothy Dalton took up the mantle forThe Living Daylights(1987) andLicense to Kill(1989),Brosnan finally became Bond in 1995’sGoldenEye. Brosnan would go on to play the vodka martini-drinking spy in a total of four films before Craig took over in 2006’sCasino Royale.
At the time of this writing, a new James Bond has not been cast, nor is there any new word on when the next 007 adventure will officially hit the Silver Screen.
