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  1. "I went to them and asked about making 'Casino Royale'"

    By Tim Roth on 2004-11-14

    In an interview with The New York Times Pierce Brosnan has offered slightly more information on his departure from the Bond role.

    Asked "After four very successful movies, it seems you are no longer Bond, what happened?" Pierce replied that "I went to them and asked about making Casino Royale, which is the first Ian Fleming book. I had hooked up with Quentin Tarantino, who wanted to direct the movie. On the fifth apple martini one evening, he mentioned Casino Royale, which is the blueprint for the psyche of Bond, and I took that idea to the Broccoli family, who produce the Bond movies. They have a way of doing the films, and they are not open to discussion — they threw my idea out the window."

    When the rumours about Tarantino came up earlier this year and fans jumped on the bandwagon, demanding Tarantino as director for Bond 21, it was not known that talks between Brosnan and Tarantino were in such an advanced state. Does it also mean that Neil Purvis and Robert Wade got their motivation for using elements from Fleming’s first book from Brosnan? According to several sources, the yet-to-be-finalized script contains numerous homages to Casino Royale.

    "But they still wanted you to make a fifth film?" – "Initially. And I said I would. But then in the middle of negotiations, they changed their minds. They never offered a sound reason. I was shocked. They said they wanted to go in a new direction. But they’ve probably done me a great favor. I can now concentrate on other roles."

    The interview then goes on about After the Sunset, whereas the last question is Bond related again: "Do you have any advice for your fellow Irishman Colin Farrell, who is one of the actors mentioned to play Bond?" – Brosan: "He’s a great bad boy. If he gets it, I hope he’s prepared for a fight. Being an actor in Hollywood involves lots of things beyond acting. Charm really helps. And it’s a good idea to incorporate a little Bond into all your dealings."

    Stay tuned!