It is not entirely unsurprising that there has been little news about the new direction that the James Bond franchise is taking in the aftermath of No Time To Die, as the final film in Daniel Craig’s run as 007 was arguably one of the most pivotal entries within the saga’s entire canon. Beyond the fact that Bond himself does not survive the film, No Time To Die offered a great sendoff to the supporting characters of Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), Q (Ben Whishaw), Tanner (Rory Kinnear), and Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux). No Time To Die succeeded because it took advantage of the audience's investment in this iteration of the franchise, and it may be challenging for a new reboot to generate the same anticipation. However, MGM and Barbara Broccoli would be able to turn the next Bond film into an “event” if it brought back one of its past Bonds: Pierce Brosnan.
The James Bond Franchise Needs To Do Something Different
The notion of a Bond actor returning after an absence is not unheard of, as Sean Connery returned for Diamonds Are Forever after the mixed response to George Lazenby’s performance in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Later, he appeared as Bond in the on-EON production of Never Say Never Again, which was released the same year that Roger Moore was starring in Octopussy. Audiences are now used to having multiple iterations of characters existing at once thanks to the use of the multiverse within both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC films. Brosnan was certainly a popular Bond during his run, and has continued to prove himself to be an excellent dramatic actor in recent years with his acclaimed performances in The Ghost Writer and The Matador . Even though he is now 71 years old, Brosnan has still shown that he can do action films thanks to his work in Black Adam and The Expendables 3.
Beyond the fact that he is an established star that the audience already has a built-in relationship with, having an older version of Bond returning to the field would be an exciting new direction for the series to take, which would avoid criticisms of a new reboot being entirely derivative of the past. Audiences responded favorably to Casino Royale because it finally showed the “origin story” of Bond, so it is safe to say that a film about his final mission would be equally as exciting. If the last few years of “legacy sequels” have proven anything, it’s that audiences are interested in seeing their favorite characters and actors return after an extended amount of time. Instances like Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, Sylvester Stallone in Creed, and Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice succeeded because they were able to retain continuity with older films, while taking the story in a new direction.
Pierce Brosnan Deserves Another Shot
Although few would argue that he was perfectly cast, Brosnan had a disappointing end to his run as Bond that left a sour taste in many viewers’ mouths. GoldenEye was an excellent reinvention of the series that adjusted the franchise into a modern setting, and Tomorrow Never Dies is a rather underrated sequel that includes excellent work from Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Pryce. Unfortunately, The World Is Not Enough sparked some backlash due to the unbelievable chemistry between Brosnan and Denise Richards, with Die Another Day faring even worse, and is often cited as being one of the worst and most over-the-top Bond films ever made.
Given that Hollywood is churning out more sequels than ever before, the Bond franchise cannot survive purely on brand identity, as audiences have shown disinterest in franchises that have been unwilling to evolve, such as Indiana Jones, The Exorcist, and the DCEU. While No Time To Die performed quite well, it remains to be seen if a new Bond would initiate the same enthusiasm. Brosnan might be a “safe” choice to play Bond again, but his casting could allow the franchise to do something radically different to ensure its survival.
Die Another Day is available to rent on Amazon in the United States.
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Die Another Day
James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
Release Date November 22, 2002
Director Lee Tamahori
Runtime 133 minutes
Image by Jefferson Chacon
English (US) ·