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Pierce Brosnan Says 'I Don't Care' Who Next James Bond Is: 'Whoever He Be, I Wish Him Well'

Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan

Keith Hamshere/Mgm/Eon/Kobal/Shutterstock

Pierce Brosnan isn't thinking about the next James Bond.

In a new interview with GQ, the 69-year-old actor looked back on his time in the iconic role, which spanned seven years and four films — GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day — and said he doesn't care who gets the coveted role next.

"Who should do it? I don't care," he said. "It'll be interesting to see who they get, who the man shall be. Whoever he be, I wish him well."

Brosnan also praises his successor, Daniel Craig, for his portrayal of 007 — particularly in 2012's Skyfall. "I saw the last one and I saw Skyfall," he said. "I love Skyfall. I'm not too sure about the last one." (Craig's final Bond movie was last year's No Time to Die.)

The Black Adam actor continued, "Daniel always gives of his heart. Very courageous, very strong."

RELATED: Idris Elba Is 'Part of the Conversation' for Next James Bond, Producer Says: 'He's a Magnificent Actor'

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan stars as James Bond alongside Dutch-born actress Famke Janssen as the villainous Xenia Onatopp in the film 'GoldenEye', 1995. Here they are filming a scene in the Casino de Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan stars as James Bond alongside Dutch-born actress Famke Janssen as the villainous Xenia Onatopp in the film 'GoldenEye', 1995. Here they are filming a scene in the Casino de Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Keith Hamshere/Getty Pierce Brosnan and Famke Janssen in GoldenEye (1995)

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In an interview with Variety this week, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson said they are still working on pitching actors for the part — including Idris Elba, whom Broccoli said they loved.

"The thing is, it's going to be a couple of years off," she explained. "And when we cast Bond, it's a 10-, 12-year commitment. So he's probably thinking, 'Do I really want that thing?' Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it]."

Wilson added, "And he was in his early 30s at the time!"

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Elba's name has been in the mix for years, dating back to a 2014 leaked email in which Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal revealed her feeling that "Idris should be the next Bond."

In 2019, the actor acknowledged his complicated feelings about becoming Bond to Vanity Fair.

"James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey," he said. "Of course if someone said to me, 'Do you want to play James Bond?' I'd be like, 'Yeah!' That's fascinating to me. But it's not something I've expressed, like, 'Yeah, I wanna be the Black James Bond.' Because, by the way, we're talking about a spy. If you really want to break it down, the more less-obvious it is, the better."