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After the success of Mamma Mia!, perhaps an all-singing, all-dancing Bond is in order for Pierce Brosnan

Kim Hollis: Do you believe the Bond films would be having the same level of success if Pierce Brosnan was still doing them?

Pete Kilmer: I think that's a "what if" question we can't play. It would have been a totally different film. I think if Brosnan had done another one, we would have gotten the Quentin Tarantino version of Casino Royale. So who knows what would have happened.

Scott Lumley: You know, I actually like Tarantino a lot, but the thought of him having anything at all to do with the Bond franchise runs a chill down my spine.

Eric Hughes: I agree with Pete. The product wouldn't be anywhere near the same. However, at the same time I don't see Brosnan ever opening a Bond film with a first weekend take like Daniel Craig. Sure, Brosnan's box office figures steadily grew with each film, but I feel like it would have topped out well before reaching Quantum of Solace numbers.





Brandon Scott: Brosnan is aging (not so gracefully, perhaps) and he reached his peak with Bond (as far as I know). I know he was bitter about the franchise having been re-cast with Craig. Craig is younger and simply fresher and I think that spoke to a whole new audience. Anyone who saw Layer Cake had to take a liking to Craig (not that he wasn't around before then, but that gave a glimpse that he could be cool).

Scott Lumley: There are several actors out there now who would be far better choices than Brosnan. At the time when Craig was cast as Bond I was shocked that Clive Owen wasn't cast. Yet Craig has been great in the role, thanks in part to the extremely successful reboot. There are times when I don't even remember that Brosnan wore the Bond mantle at all, something the producers in the Bond series seem to recognize.

Sean Collier: While it's true that the franchise would never have been rebooted with Brosnan in the title role, I still think it's safe to say there would've been a nosedive if he had pressed on. The previous few Bond films had been nothing but retreads. Furthermore - it's an odd point, but I think a relevant one - the last few Bond films coincided with the Austin Powers movies. It's hard to keep doing the same old schtick when someone else is making more money lampooning it. If any more Pierce-led Bond movies had been introduced, franchise loyalists would've gone out of habit, but that'd be about it.

Kim Hollis: I agree that Brosnan - whether he wanted to or not - probably needed to move on from playing Bond. The series was stale, and frankly, Die Another Day wasn't very good. The producers understood that they simply weren't engaging a younger audience anymore, and took steps to correct the issue. I wouldn't necessarily credit the success to Craig himself, but he is sort of ideal for the Bond they've created.

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