Cillian Murphy Would Be A ‘Magnificent’ James Bond, Says Former 007 Star
“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service.”
Cillian Murphy is bigger than ever after winning the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer—and now a former James Bond says Murphy would be his dream choice to take over the super spy franchise.
Ex-007 Pierce Brosnan, who previously declared that he couldn’t care less about who will replace Daniel Craig, now says he thinks Murphy would be perfect.
“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Brosnan told the BBC of his fellow Irishman at the Oscar Wilde Awards.
That’s not to be confused with the 2024 Oscars, where Oppenheimer won seven golden statues, including Best Picture, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. and Best Actor for Murphy, who wowed critics with his portrayal of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb.
Murphy, 47, is among a squad of high-profile actors rumored to be in contention to portray the iconic secret agent. The ongoing guessing game of who will replace Daniel Craig has included Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Barry Keoghan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Richard Madden, Jack Lowden, and, now, Murphy, reports Entertainment Weekly.
The last person to play Bond was Craig, who starred in five films—2006’s Casino Royale, 2008’s Quantum of Solace, 2012’s Skyfall, 2015’s Spectre, and 2021’s No Time to Die.
Brosnan, who starred as Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002, told GQ in 2022 that he really wasn’t concerned about who would play the famed character next.
When asked to share his casting thoughts then, he said simply: “I don’t care,” adding: “It’ll be interesting to see who they get, who the man shall be. Whoever he be, I wish him well.”
In 2019, Brosnan was among those who suggested that it was time for a female Bond to take over in the post-Craig era, though that bold plan seems to have fizzled.
Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have said that they’re looking for a younger 007 actor who can make a long-term commitment to the franchise. That just might exclude former Peaky Blinders star Murphy, who is already pushing 50.
“It’s going to be a couple of years off,” Broccoli told Variety. “And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10 to 12-year commitment.”