Following speculation that Daniel Craig will hang up the tuxedo and put away his gadgets after the upcoming “Spectre,” everyone is chiming in about who should and should not be the next James Bond— including a former Bond, Pierce Brosnan.
Brosnan, who starred in four 007 films between 1995 and 2002, recently predicted who will step into the shoes of the iconic British spy.
“Anything is possible for sure, but I think he’ll be male and he’ll be white,” Brosnan told the Press Association.
“There’s wonderful black actors out there who could be James Bond, and there’s no reason why you cannot have a black James Bond,” the 62-year-old Irish actor added.
Idris Elba is one of those actors. The fan and studio favorite was dubbed “too street” for the role by 007 author Anthony Horowitz, sparking a social media outcry and subsequent public apology.
“Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better,” he told theDaily Mail in late August. “For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a color issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”
Bond, however, will never be a Jane, according to Brosnan.
“But a female James Bond, no, I think it has to be male. James Bond is a guy, he’s all male. His name is James, his name is James Bond,” he insisted.
Craig reprises his 007 role for the fourth time in “Spectre,” which bows on Nov. 6.