James Bond's Irish ambassador Pierce Brosnan thinks Cillian Murphy is a good candidate

In what can only be described as a gambit to forward the Irish agenda, former James Bond Pierce Brosnan has nominated one of his countrymen to follow in his footsteps. “Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” he said of Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy (via the BBC). Both stars were in attendance for the Oscar Wilde Awards, a ceremony specifically to celebrate Irish talent in Los Angeles. This is presumably an event where Celts can plot how to further take over Hollywood.

Brosnan’s advocacy for Murphy as Bond is notable mostly because he doesn’t really give a damn about the future of the franchise. “Who should do it? I don’t care,” he shrugged back in 2022. “It’ll be interesting to see who they get, who the man shall be,” he said in a tone that GQ noted “indicates it’s maybe not actually that interesting.” He added, “Whoever he be, I wish him well.” (Brosnan did once say it would be “exhilarating” to have a female James Bond, but that’s already been ruled out by the producers, as he himself predicted.)

Now that he has a former Bond’s seal of approval, is Cillian Murphy even really a possibility for the role? Murphy’s type isn’t exactly “action star,” but rumors are floating over in the UK that he’s in the running: “Cillian is the toast of Hollywood right now and this would be the ultimate role,” a source told The Sun, claiming producer Barbara Broccoli has her eye on Murphy. “This is a way to elevate the Bond franchise with an actor who is at the very top of his game.” For what it’s worth, the Bond producers (who allegedly hadn’t even started the casting process at all, as of October 2023) have indicated they want a seasoned actor with “gravitas,” so that would work in the favor of the 47-year-old Murphy. However, Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams also suggested the team prefers a less well-known star, so that would work against Murphy, who is likely to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday. (If he does, he’ll be the first Irish-born performer to take that trophy, by the way.)

All in all, it’s hard to see this particular Bond rumor panning out, but we understand exactly why Brosnan would nominate Murphy: he wants to see another Irishman infiltrate and take over one of England’s cultural institutions. As St. Patrick’s day approaches, Brosnan’s Irish pride is on full display. He was recently announced as one of the celebrity talking heads in Quintessentially Irish, a documentary all about how good Ireland is. Of the small country’s wealth of talent—which includes this season’s other buzzy stars, Andrew Scott and Barry Keoghan—Brosnan proclaimed to the BBC, “We come from a landscape of poetry… they’re great storytellers.”