Pierce Brosnan Endorses Callum Turner for James Bond: 'He's So Strong'

Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002, has endorsed Callum Turner as a candidate to inherit the role, calling him "so strong" in a new Vanity Fair interview.

Brosnan, 71-year-old Irish actor who starred as 007 in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, said he is watching the casting race unfold from the outside. He previously worked with Turner on 2017's The Only Living Boy in New York.

"Oh, I'm just an audience member now," Brosnan said when asked whether he follows the Bond chatter. "I'm just the man in the street who is eager to see who is going to play this epic role of cinematic history."

The former Bond carries no vote in the process, but his endorsement adds a veteran's perspective to a search that has run since Daniel Craig exited the franchise.

Who are the frontrunners?

As Variety reported, "Slow Horses" star Jack Lowden appears to be the other leading candidate, and final auditions are believed to be taking place in London. Josh O'Connor and Jacob Elordi have also been floated in earlier rounds of speculation.

Brosnan praised the entire field. "All the men who are on the list now are actors I admire," he said. "Callum Turner is someone I've worked with, and he's so strong. They all have a voice and a physique, and a presence on film. They all have longevity as actors, all of these young men."

What did Brosnan tell the next 007?

Asked what advice he would give the next actor to wear Bond's suit, Brosnan kept it personal rather than professional.

"Whoever plays the role, I wish him the very best of life and strength and courage," he said. "You know, it's hard to tell who it would be, but I eagerly await to hear the news and the celebration of the next James Bond."

The endorsement of Turner is grounded in direct experience: the two shared the screen in Marc Webb's 2017 drama, giving Brosnan a firsthand read on the 34-year-old English actor's craft that most commentators lack.

What about Denis Villeneuve's Bond film?

Brosnan reserved his strongest enthusiasm for the franchise's future behind the camera. "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve is attached to steer the next chapter of the spy series, and the former Bond predicts a landmark result.

"I think we are going to be blown away. I really do," Brosnan said. "[Villeneuve] is such an iconoclastic director. His work is visionary, and his stealth and imagination of camera work and storytelling is so visceral and sensuous. It's going to be great. It's going to be truly magnificent."

With Villeneuve directing, reported final auditions underway in London and a former Bond publicly backing Turner, the announcement of the next 007 now looks closer than at any point since Craig's departure — and the choice will define the franchise's next decade.

By Elena Vasquez