The discourse surrounding James Bond is just as enduring as the franchise itself. Discussions about Bonds current and former have persisted ever since “Dr. No” kicked off the saga back in 1962, but there’s nothing like the imminent arrival of a new 007 to kick the conversation into high gear. Now that Amazon fully controls the James Bond franchise, things have gone into overdrive.

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Speculation is rife regarding what kinds of James Bond spin-offs and tie-in movies Amazon will churn out, while the already hotly-debated topic of who will fill the tux in the wake of Daniel Craig’s exit from the franchise has now become nothing short of a conflagration. The sheer amount of names being bandied about in the last few years has been disorienting to say the least, but one name keeps coming to the fore: Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

The British star is a somewhat safe choice for the Bond franchise. He looks the part, has the big-budget movie experience, and turned “Kraven the Hunter” into a massive box office success and cultural phenomenon (OK, maybe that last part isn’t quite true). Still, Johnson would surely do a solid job as England’s greatest spy, which is why the actor has previously been the betting favorite for the role.

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Now, with producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman in charge, all bets are pretty much off. But it seems Taylor-Johnson has a big supporter in the form of former Bond star Pierce Brosnan, who hasn’t been shy about joining in the 007 discourse of late and is seemingly willing to go to bat for the younger actor — that is, if Brosnan himself doesn’t return as Bond…

Pierce Brosnan was a great James Bond who never really got a great Bond movie. “GoldenEye” is fondly remembered by a generation that grew up with the film and its accompanying video game, but besides that, Brosnan’s Bond repeatedly found himself at the center of some of the most uneven entries in the historic franchise. This is exactly why Brosnan deserves one final Bond movie, which is apparently something the now 71-year-old is absolutely open to considering.

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Brosnan has been doing the rounds lately to promote his excellent “Mobland” series, which was originally a spin-off from a popular American crime show, and as you might expect, the former 007 star has been asked about the franchise that made him a megastar on multiple occasions. Whereas you might expect someone of his experience to remain coy on the subject, Brosnan has stated clearly that he’d be willing to consider returning as 007. What’s more, should the actor never get the chance to return, he’s also weighed in on the debate surrounding who the next Bond actor should be. That is, he’s been asked what he thinks of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and evidently the answer is a positive one. 

The pair previously worked together on 2009 drama “The Greatest,” and it seems Brosnan was impressed with the young actor at the time. Speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, the Irish actor was asked whether he thought Taylor-Johnson would be a good Bond, and said, “I think he would be very good. I cast him in one of the movies I made a long time ago called ‘The Greatest,’ actually, and he played ‘The Greatest.’ This young man came on the set and took the space, filled the space with passion and energy. So yeah, I think if he wished it, wanted it and got it, he would be great.”

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Pierce Brosnan hasn’t been shy about weighing in on all things Bond, showing support for his “The Greatest” co-star in other interviews. Appearing on the U.K.’s “The Jonathan Ross Show,” Brosnan was again asked what he thought of Aaron Taylor-Johnson for the role of 007 and replied that he thought the young actor “would make a very fine Bond,” again talking up his work on “The Greatest” and referring to the actor as having an impressive “charisma” and “presence.” Still, Brosnan kept things somewhat diplomatic by adding “there’s many other men on the list as well, I’m sure.” Indeed, there’s no shortage of actors who could replace Daniel Craig as Bond. Clearly, though, the “GoldenEye” star is in Taylor-Johnson’s corner.

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Whether that’s a good thing or not will depend on what you want to see from the next Bond. What’s more, with longtime Bond stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson having relinquished control of the franchise to Amazon, there’s also the question of how the company will approach casting. It could be that former favorite candidates are simply cast aside in favor of more unknown actors. Whoever ends up in the director’s chair will surely have their own ideas for who should lead the franchise moving forward, and with Broccoli out of the picture, it remains unclear whether Amazon will exercise the same level of control over casting as the former producer.

In short, then, nobody knows who is going to play James Bond at this point, but it can’t hurt to have Pierce Brosnan backing you up … unless he takes the role himself.

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