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A trap that has endured for more than 42 years, 20 installments, and five stars, hitting an all-time high with Brosnan, whose four Bond films have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The actor instilled a new vigor into Ian Fleming's character, which by 1989 -- the year of Timothy Dalton's woeful ''Licence to Kill'' -- was leaving audiences unstirred. And if Brosnan truly is done, then the England-based EON must find another star for the as-yet-untitled 21st Bond movie, for which there's already a script draft (production is set to start in January for a late-2005 release). Likely contenders include Brits Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, and Gerard Butler, as well as Aussies Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, and Eric Bana.

''It's bizarre, it's incredibly flattering,'' the Welsh-born Gruffudd (''King Arthur'') recently told EW. All the same, he chuckled, talk of his chances amounts to ''rumor'' -- it's a rite of passage for pretty much every young Anglo actor ''to carry that mantle.'' For MGM's sake, the choice had better be wise: Bond is the perpetually for-sale studio's only consistent moneymaking franchise. (MGM had no comment.)

The trick, of course, is to find an actor at the right moment in his career to take on the role. The most successful Bonds -- Connery, Moore, and Brosnan -- have been able to carry the franchise but had nothing to lose by dropping everything for 007. Before trading wisecracks with M and Q, Connery was a little-known ex-milkman, Moore was an all-but-washed-up TV star, and Brosnan was a big draw…in TV movies like 1991's ''Victim of Love.'' Which rules out stars with more established track records, like Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, and Hugh Grant, giving the edge to Owen, Bana, and Gruffudd. As for Jackman, it's been a dream: ''While growing up, that was the role I wanted to play,'' he told EW in March. ''I'm not going to compare it to Hamlet, but in a way it's the same thing. You want to put your stamp on it.''

Brosnan has gone from having nothing to lose 10 years ago to risking a lot. His recent departures from action thrillers like Bond and 1999's ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' -- including April's romantic comedy ''Laws of Attraction'' -- have fared poorly. ''That image goes with me,'' Brosnan says of his 007 persona, ''for better or worse.'' Next up: another light film, the humorous heist tale ''After the Sunset,'' with Salma Hayek. ''Pierce told me he wasn't going to do [the next] Bond,'' says Sunset director Brett Ratner, who values Brosnan's funny streak. ''This guy is so professional, he's such a great actor. He'll give you anything.''

Should this indeed be the end of playing James Bond, Brosnan has no regrets: ''We went out on a high, and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies.''


Posted Jul 28, 2004 | Published in issue #777 Aug 06, 2004 | Order Article Reprints
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