Never say never again -- Pierce Brosnan is rumoured to be back in the picture as James Bond. Internet sites are abuzz this week with reports that Sony Pictures, which just bought the rival MGM studio that had distributed 007 movies for decades, has given the Irishman a renewed chance to return.
Brosnan told the Sun last October that he had been fired as Bond.
The current project is the planned re-make of Casino Royale, which is supposed to start shooting in December or January under GoldenEye director Martin Campbell and is due in theatres Nov. 17, 2006. It would be Brosnan's fifth appearance as 007.
An anonymous source (nicknamed Artists United and hyped as a high level official at the faltering MGM studio) reportedly told the website darkhorizons.com:
"All the stuff we heard about Brosnan being out is just a ploy from both camps." The source was referring to Brosnan's team and that of Eon Productions, which is run by longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli (daughter of original Bond co-producer, the late Cubby Broccoli) and Michael Wilson. Insiders say their alternative choice would be Clive Owen.
"The mood around Sony," the MGM source said, "is that Brosnan will be back. Hence, the reluctance of the filmmakers to come right out and announce that they have parted ways with Brosnan. So much money is at stake, and the word is, Sony (executives) are not in a gambling mood.
"They could lose more with an unknown actor, or with an experienced but unpopular actor. They're well aware that you just can't place any actor in this role and, with Brosnan's star power and successful track record, he's currently the strong money-maker for the Bond films."
The darkhorizons report has spread like a virus around the world and is now crossing over into the mainstream media.
But Brosnan, who launched his Bond career with GoldenEye in 1995 and wrapped it up with Die Another Day in 2002, kissed the franchise goodbye last October, telling the Sun that: "It's over, it's over, it's absolutely over."
He also groused that he did not want to quit, that he was fired by the producers because they wanted fresh blood and perhaps someone younger. Brosnan will turn 52 on May 16.
Variety later reported that Brosnan, who reportedly earned $16.5 million US for Die Another Day, had priced himself out of the next James Bond movie by demanding a combined salary and cut of profits that could earn him $40 million US, although that figure has been disputed.
"Then again," an industry source told the Sun yesterday, "Sony's cheap and it may come down to that -- a matter of money. It is always about money." The same source said that the Bond franchise has already been handed over from MGM to Sony (which runs Columbia Pictures) because the Bond producers did not want to wait for the protracted negotiations for MGM to stall their plans for Casino Royale.
The new movie, the 21st official Bond, is planned as a serious and gritty remake of the original 1967 film, which was a goofy satire starring David Niven.
"It's plausible," another studio source told the Sun yesterday about the Sony interest in Brosnan. "They (Sony executives) may also want to get a fresh face. But, if it is Brosnan, that could bode well for down the line with more than one movie planned. There may be some fire in the pot."
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the Brosnan rumours, the British tabloids The Sunday Express and The Sunday Star both claim that Owen, one of the stars of the hit Sin City, would be announced as the new Bond this week. He has been rumoured to be on the list for the role for at least two years and has often scoffed at the idea. According to the tabs, things have changed and a deal finalized.
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