Pierce Brosnan Says Cillian Murphy Would Be A "Magnificent" James Bond

Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in four films in the 1990s and early 2000s, has commented that he believes Cillian Murphy would make a good James Bond.

"Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty's Secret Service," Brosnan told the BBC. That's all he had to say on the subject, though.

Many are wondering who will take over as the next James Bond after Daniel Craig ended his five-movie run with 2021's No Time To Die. Producer Michael G. Wilson said it's likely to be a "thirty-something" actor, and if that's indeed how the next film is cast, Murphy--now 47--might have aged out. Nothing is certain in Hollywood, though, and after all, Roger Moore was 45 when his first James Bond film premiered.

For what's it's worth, the BBC reported that Murphy told the publication he has heard nothing about casting for the next James Bond film.

Murphy is up for Best Actor at this weekend's Academy Awards for his starring role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's box office smash Oppenheimer. He's going up against Paul Giamatti, Colman Domingo, Bradley Cooper, and Jeffrey Wright.

The next James Bond movie, which hasn't been officially announced, will be the 26th entry in the series since the franchise debuted in 1962 with Dr. No. In the world of video games, Hitman developer IO Interactive is making a James Bond game that the studio believes is capable of standing next to the films.