Who will be the next James Bond? That’s the question on every 007 fan’s lips since “No Time To Die” hit theaters in 2021. But two and half years later, there’s still no answer, and Bond producer Barbara Broccoli won’t provide one, saying last October that “Bond 26” won’t reach theaters for another “three or four years.” That leaves everyone to speculate on their favorite hypothetical picks, like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Dev Patel, and James Norton, to name a few.
READ MORE: ‘Bond’ Producer Barbara Broccoli Says 007 Reboot Will Take 3-4 Years: “A Big Road Ahead”
Now a former James Bond actor comes forward with his top choice. Variety reports that Pierce Brosnan revealed who he’d like to see don 007’s tuxedo next:”Oppenheimer” actor and Oscar Best Actor favorite Cillian Murphy. “Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Brosnan told BBC at the Oscar Wilde Awards in LA on Thursday night. An obvious choice, maybe: an Irish actor picking another Irishman for the coveted part. But let’s break down this selection, shall we?
For one thing, Murphy’s a little too old at this point for Broccoli to pick him at James Bond. He’s only two years older than Roger Moore was when he first played 007 in “Live And Let Die” at 45, but that’s still too old for the “30-something” Broccoli and Michael J. Wilson are looking for. Still, Brosnan was 42 when he first played Bond in “Goldeneye” and 49 when he retired after a seven-year tenure. But again, Broccoli wants an actor who will commit to Bond films for at least a decade. They won’t pick Murphy, then, as he’ll be nearing sixty when that contract expires.
So the mystery as to which British actor will be tapped for Bond continues. Who will it be? Regé-Jean Page? Greta Gerwig‘s choice (possibly in jest) is “Barbie” actor Kingsley Ben-Adir. Meanwhile, “No Time To Die” actress Ana de Armas thinks Paul Mescal is the right guy for the role. And others still like Henry Cavill, even though he’s done the spy thing now with “Argylle” (an experience he may honestly be trying to forget). But even he’s not fit to be 007, Murphy undoubtedly has more prestige roles in his future after “Oppenheimer.” And maybe several of them if he wins Best Actor this weekend (and odds are that he will).
