Pierce Brosnan says Oscar favourite Cillian Murphy should be next James Bond

08 March 2024 , 16:22

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Pierce Brosnan has said Cillian Murphy should be the next James Bond

Pierce Brosnan said Cillian Murphy should be the next James Bond.

Pierce, 70, who starred as the 007 agent in four Bond films from 1995 to 2002, said the Irish actor would be great in the role of 007. He said: “Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service."

However, Cillian doesn't seem willing to take on the role. He said: "I'm a bit too old for that". Both Irish actors attended the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday night, where Pierce was honoured with an award for his "rich and extensive career in front of the camera and behind the scenes as a producer."

The awards, which celebrate the achievements of Irish actors and filmmakers, were held at Bad Robot. Roma Downey presented Pierce with the award. Pierce played Bond in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Pierce Brosnan starred as the iconic 007 agent in four Bond films from 1995 to 2002 (Getty Images)

Sean Connery, who was born in Scotland, had Irish heritage as his ancestors left Ireland for Edinburgh in the mid-19th Century. Irish actor Paul Mescal, who recently wrapped filming on the Gladiator sequel, is also rumoured to be in talks to star as the next James Bond.

World's largest Sean Connery-era James Bond poster collection up for sale

Bookmakers have continued to put forward the Oppenheimer actor as a contender for the 007 role following Daniel Craig's departure. Coral has tipped the Peaky Blinders star to become the new James Bond with odds of 20-1.

At the same event, Cillian was asked how he feels about the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday after being nominated for Best Actor, for his portrayal of J Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer. He said: “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest. I just want to go in and have a good time. I’m sure we’ll have a party of some sort.

“It’s really not competitive. It might appear that way but it’s really not. It feels really collegiate. It feels very much like all of us in it together.” He added: “None of us expected that the film would do so well. The thing that always strikes me is when people come and say they’ve seen the film five or six times, that’s kind of phenomenal and young and old and boys and girls, it’s amazing."

The Irish actor ruled speculation of an Oscars win even further when he scooped the coveted award for Best Lead Actor at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards last month. He's up against Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers, Colman Domingo for his role in Rustin, Bradley Cooper's Maestro performance and Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction.

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Laura Colgan