Brosnan's 'Bond' Is Done Because of Damon

[chuck007]

Pierce Brosnan's Time as 'Bond' Is Done Because of Matt Damon

from:
www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/w0002111.html

Pierce Brosnan's Time as 'Bond' Is Done Because of Matt Damon


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Pierce Brosnan knew his days as "Bond" were numbered after Matt Damon became the most popular spy at the box office through his "Bourne" franchise. The Irish actor rejuvenated the "007" series in the mid-'90s with his debut in the British spy franchise's "Goldeneye". He went on to play the suave secret agent in a further three films.

But following the release of Doug Liman's 2002 movie "The Bourne Identity", starring Damon as Jason Bourne, Brosnan knew cinema-goers were ready for a new style of spy thriller. He spent a boozy night with director Quentin Tarantino discussing how to bring "Casino Royale" to the big screen - but "Bond" bosses decided to go with Daniel Craig for the 2006 film instead.

Brosnan tells Empire magazine, "That wasn't meant to be. But we (Brosnan and Tarantino) had a great night. I could hardly walk. I had to call a driver up because I could just about put one foot in front of the other. He walked out of the door and then got into his Pussymobile and drove away. He's a champion lad, Quentin... . Yeah, it wasn't meant to be for him, or for me."

"Once Paul Greengrass let Matt Damon out of the door in such an epic way, the spy genre turned on its head and my time was done. Because then you have a younger man there, and how are you going to move forward? And they ('Bond' bosses) couldn't. If they were to do 'Casino Royale', they couldn't do it with me. Choices were made. The decisions were drawn in the sand - albeit a little late in the day."

[poirot]

May 17, 2010 11:07:28 GMT -5 chuck007 said:

But following the release of Doug Liman's 2002 movie "The Bourne Identity",

I think The Bourne Supremacy had a much bigger impact. (Brosnan likely does to, hence the Greengrass mention.)

The Bourne Identity was delayed for a year and no one really expected much from it at the time. Even Damon expected it to be his third flop in a row. When it finally opened, everyone was paying more attention to XXX- which was viewed as a youthful challenge to the 007 franchise.

Identity really didn't come into its own until it hit dvd and developed a strong following. Even then, EON still wasn't paying attention. Back in 2003, all the rumors had Bond returning to India and mixing it up with Aishwarya Rai.

The real change came in 2004, when Supremacy opened with $52 million at the box office. Suddenly, everyone was commenting on the fact that the number was higher than the previous Bond, and EON were left scrambling to figure out why. (By 2007, they still hadn't figured it out, as they were reportedly stunned by The Bourne Ultimatum's critical and commercial success.)

[Greg Haugen]

Sadly, the Bourne films did make Michael & Barbara look like a couple of old hacks.

[009]

May 19, 2010 13:48:13 GMT -5 Greg Haugen said:

Sadly, the Bourne films did make Michael & Barbara look like a couple of old hacks.

Which is not difficult as they are.

I'm only joking as Wilson has made a good contribution to the series and I enjoyed the Brosnan era.