Pierce Brosnan has suggested he would be open to returning to the world of James Bond — though not as the active agent he played across four blockbuster films. Instead, the 72-year-old Navan actor hinted he could “entertain” appearing in a Bond-related project as a retired agent, marking a possible return to the franchise more than two decades after he last suited up as 007.
Speaking in a new interview, Brosnan said people regularly ask whether he would reprise the role, but made it clear that the mantle of Bond firmly belongs to a new generation. “Of course, people ask about Bond – ‘would you?’ and whatever – but that’s another man’s job. But the possibilities of working within that film, entertaining…” he said, leaving the door slightly ajar for a future cameo or spin-off.
Reflecting on the ever-changing nature of the franchise, he added: “So it’s going to be exciting to see what happens. I think everything changes, everything falls apart, so you just sit back and enjoy it all.” When pressed on whether he would consider playing an older, retired agent, he said: “Sometimes you entertain it and sometimes you just move on.”
Brosnan starred as Bond in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). His era remains one of the franchise’s most commercially successful periods, helping relaunch the series to global audiences in the 1990s.
@britishgq In this episode of The Influence, a series where actors recall the people and bodies of work that made them who they are, Pierce Brosnan discusses the inspirations behind everything from who inspired him to get into acting to the musicians he loves and the artists he looks up to. #piercebrosnan ♬ original sound - British GQ
Outside the Bond universe, Brosnan confirmed he wants to continue building out his current slate of character-driven roles. He revealed plans to make a second film in The Thursday Murder Club series, based on Richard Osman’s bestselling novels. The first instalment, released earlier this year, saw Brosnan play former trade union leader Ron Ritchie.
He also shared that he has begun filming season two of MobLand, the Paramount+ crime drama in which he plays a veteran investigator. For the actor, this phase of his career — working consistently, and on varied, layered roles — marks a period of renewed freedom.
“It’s just been a delight for two years of working back to back. In this time and place in age, it allows me to play characters. It allows me to enjoy the process of acting and of playing within the image, playing within the symbol, playing within the icon of that person that you’ve created.”
Brosnan said he now takes particular pleasure in portraying older characters rather than action-heavy roles. “There is a definite conscious intention to go forwards because I’m the age I am, and I embrace it. I don’t want to jump out of aeroplanes. Jump on the bus. Jump off the bus.”
The full interview appears in the GQ Men of the Year edition, with Brosnan set to be honoured at the event in London on 18 November — a recognition of his long-standing impact on film, from 007 to the varied roles he continues to explore today.
