Pierce Brosnan Was Almost James Bond Before Timothy Dalton

Pierce Brosnan Was Almost James Bond Before Timothy Dalton

Irish James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan was originally slated to play the secret agent before scheduling conflicts saw Dalton step into the role.

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Pierce Brosnan Was Almost James Bond Before Timothy Dalton

James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan, was very nearly cast in the role before his predecessor Timothy Dalton, according to casting director Debbie McWillams. The upcoming James Bond movie, No Time To Die, will mark the 25th big screen outing for the British secret agent, with current Bond actor, Daniel Craig, who was set to bow out after 2018’s Spectre, returning for his final outing, after 5 movies and 15 years in the role. The James Bond franchise officially ranks as the 2nd longest-running movie franchise of all time, behind only the Godzilla franchise. To date, the 24 released Bond movies have grossed a box office total of more than $14 billion, when adjusted for inflation, and continue to enjoy popularity today.

The role of Bond has been a highly coveted one, and to date, 6 different actors have officially portrayed Agent 007 (David Niven appeared in the role in the 1967 spoof Casino Royale, regarded as an unofficial Bond). With Craig confirming No Time To Die will be his final outing as the suave British spy, there is bound to be debate over who should replace the Englishman in the role. Famously, Craig endured a negative backlash after winning the role, with many fans feeling the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, macho Craig had the wrong look for the part, and it remains to be seen who might be shortlisted as his replacement. But long before Craig was cast, the Bond franchise was approaching a transition, with Roger Moore, the third actor to play the role, departing after a record 7 outings.

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According to casting director McWilliams, Brosnan, the then-husband of actress Cassandra Harris, who appeared as a Bond girl alongside Moore in For Your Eyes Only, had been lined up to succeed Moore as 007. However, it appears that scheduling conflicts with Brosnan’s successful TV show, Remington Steele, meant that he was not available at the time, so Welsh actor Timothy Dalton was cast in the role instead. Read the comments McWilliams gave during her EW interview below:

“He was pretty much earmarked as the next one, but then, of course, once interest was shown, the Mary Tyler Moore company had him under option for Remington Steele. And despite the fact that a great deal had gone on, even down literally to him being costumed, they had a 60-day [period] where they could choose to use that option or not and on day 59 they said, “You can’t have him.” And this was almost no time before the film was due to start shooting so [it was a] massive disappointment for him and threw all of us into total turmoil, which is when the Timothy Dalton process kicked into huge action.”

Dalton would appear in two movies as James Bond, 1987’s The Living Daylights, and 1989’s Licence To Kill, both of which were successful at the box office and received mixed critical reviews. However, Dalton was never warmly received by the public or Bond fans, which could have something to do with the darker tone his films took compared to the most light-hearted Roger Moore movies that had come before. Regardless, Dalton did not end up making any more Bond movies, and Brosnan came back into the frame to replace him, making his 007 debut with 1995 hit, Goldeneye.

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Though Dalton had a mixed career in the years since, Brosnan has enjoyed a successful career post-Bond, appearing in successful movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Mamma Mia!, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Daniel Craig has also found success since winning the role, in particular with the recent critically acclaimed Knives Out. Whether he can continue this success post-Bond remains to be seen, and the actor cast as Craig’s replacement, with Tom Hardy the current bookies favorite, will know they have some big James Bond shaped shoes to fill.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/james-bond-pierce-brosnan-timothy-dalton-casting-change/

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