Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan thinks Aaron Taylor-Johnson has standout characteristics that would serve him well if he signed up to play the 007 agent.
During a recent appearance on RTE Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show, Brosnan, who portrayed the famous spy in four films from 1995 to 2002, shared his thoughts on Taylor-Johnson potentially taking on the iconic role, telling the host that he thinks the actor would deliver Double-O perfection as Daniel Craig's successor.
"I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so," Brosnan said of Taylor-Johnson.
Brosnan played the father of a character portrayed by Taylor-Johnson in the 2009 movie The Greatest, which tells the story of a grief-stricken family struggling with the loss of their son. Brosnan had nothing but praise for Taylor-Johnson after acting alongside him and let it be known that he endorses him as the next James Bond.
"One of the first movies we made, one of the earliest movies, was The Greatest. And he was the greatest in it," Brosnan recalled of Taylor-Johnson's performance in the movie, which came before his titular role in Kick-Ass. "So, yes, I read the news about his possibilities of being a Bond, so I would definitely tip my hat to the fellow."
Brosnan passed the 007 baton to Daniel Craig, who had the longest tenure as Bond, spanning five films from his first outing in 2006's Casino Royale to his swansong in 2021's No Time to Die. Producers are now looking to "reinvent" the series and have reportedly extended a "formal offer" to Taylor-Johnson for the part.
Reports surfaced early last year that Taylor-Johnson had met with Bond producers about the role, and the meeting went "very well," putting him in the running alongside several other actors, including Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, who Brosnan also thinks would do "a magnificent job" in the highly coveted Bond role.
However, it seems Taylor-Johnson is the current frontrunner. His past credits include Kick-Ass, Tenet, and Bullet Train. He also famously starred as Pietro Maximoff in the MCU's Avengers: Age of Ultron. He will next appear in The Fall Guy, opposite Ryan Gosling, and in Kraven The Hunter, playing the titular Spider-Man villain.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/pierce-brosnan-aaron-taylor-johnson-talent-charisma-james-bond