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Kevin Chen: It's a pity that the franchise had become so cartoonish by the time Brosnan took over the role, because he completely personified the icon of the suave, debonair, unflappable hero. While I do appreciate both Sean Connery and Roger Moore for their work in establishing the character, I can only imagine what the movies might have been like if Pierce Brosnan had been born a decade or two earlier.

Jamie Ruccio: I don't think if Brosnan had been still playing the part it would have had the same level of success. I don't think it much matters if Brosnan had done another one, however, so much as it matters who had creative control over the script writing. If Brosnan had been given the script to Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace (whose title I seem to be the outlier for as I really like it) it may have been successful, especially QoS with Casino as a foundation. But I think it benefits tremendously from a reboot with a different actor, especially someone like Craig who seems to be far more menacing than any previous Bond save for Connery.

If I remember correctly, the rumor was that Brosnan finally left the franchise because of the scripts and lack of control over them. I do wonder what Brosnan would have done with the role had he accepted the offer during his Remington Steele days and had a script that wasn't as campy as some of the others.

I also wonder why they don't pick someone to play the part who isn't in his late 30s when they start but ten years younger to maximize the time someone can play the role.

Max Braden: Brosnan couldn't have rebooted but there's no reason he couldn't have done the Quantum of Solace story with the same team that Craig had. I think Goldeneye started off with the right tone but they kept sliding into Roger Moore territory in the following movies. Brosnan became the Starbucks/theme park brand of Bond - well marketed, adventurous, but hardly edgy or dangerous. Brosnan could have given us improved films but I doubt his box office would have reflected that.

Jason Lee: I agree with Eric, Pete and Kim. The franchise needed an entire new look and persona - as good as an actor as Brosnan is, there is no way that he could have delivered the raw, visceral Bond that Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace delivered.

Daron Aldridge: Plain and simple, Max nailed it with his take on the Brosnan/Moore parallel in quality. They just got silly but the box office openings for Brosnan as Bond held steady and then increased. Goldeneye opened in 1995 with $26.2 million, Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997 with $25.1 million, The World is Not Enough in 1999 with $35.5, and Die Another Day in 2002 with $47.1 million. In theory, it could have continued the increase but not likely, because of the aforementioned appearance of Jason Bourne on the scene as a fresh alternative. I would also argue that Halle Berry was a box office factor for Die Another Day as she had just won her Oscar and was prominently featured in all the ads/marketing.

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