Brosnan Breaks His Bond?

It began as a whispered rumour, then moved up a notch to wild speculation, and now seems to have solidified into fact - Pierce Brosnan won't be reprising the role of James Bond, after all. Probably. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, the Irish actor said "That's it. I've said all I've got to say on the world of James Bond. Bond is another lifetime behind me." If Brosnan has hung up his Walther PPK, it's not a complete surprise. The start of production on the 21st Bond film has been an unusually protracted affair, with conflicting signals about start dates, script readiness and even Brosnan's involvement sent out from both the actor's camp and EON Productions, the company behind the 007 series. It now looks likely, though, that Brosnan's run as Bond came to an end with Die Another Day, his fourth, most successful - and final contractually-obligated - stab at playing the suave secret agent. "We went out on a high, and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies," he said. "But I've said all I've got to say on it." There has been some speculation that EON might have been concerned about Brosnan's age (he's 51), or radical plans for the character (he reportedly wanted to break the Bond formula and make Casino Royale, with Quentin Tarantino directing). That could not be confirmed or denied thus far, but it seems now that EON is searching for a new Bond, with the likes of Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana, Boris Johnson, Colin Firth, Steve Rider, and that bloke from the Vodafone ads all in the running. And with the flick scheduled for November 18, 2005, that search is beginning to take on a certain urgency. We'll obviously bring you all the news as soon as it happens. Stay tuned!