Pierce Brosnan knows the perfect candidate to step into the iconic James Bond role — Cillian Murphy!

“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Pierce, 70, told the BBC at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 7.

Who better to choose the next successor than the iconic actor, who portrayed Bond in four films: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. After Pierce left the role in 2002, Daniel Craig took over the titular character in the franchise’s next five films.

In the past, other acting greats have starred in the role, including Roger Moore, Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. Several names have been thrown around as to who will next appear as the lead in the coveted franchise, including Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Henry Cavill and Sam Heughan.

The search for Bond continues, as no official announcements have been made regarding casting the next film.

“Nobody’s in the running,” producer Barbara Broccoli told Deadline in June 2022. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”

However, fans would probably agree that Cillian is a great candidate for the role. He is likely to win his first Oscar on Sunday, March 10, for Best Actor after captivating audiences with his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Despite picking up awards at all major award shows ahead of the big ceremony, Cillian, 47, has remained rather humble amid his blockbuster success.

Pierce Brosnan in a tuxedo
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The Irish actor assured his fans that he has no idea where he would put an Oscar in his home if he won it.

“I haven’t really thought about that to be honest with you. I just want to go in and have a good time this weekend,” he told The Mirror, adding that he’ll have “some sort of party” if he wins.

Cillian also revealed that he and his costars are “not competitive” when it comes to winning awards.

“None of us expected that the film would do so well,” he confessed. “The thing that always strikes me is when people come and say they’ve seen the film five or six times, that’s kind of phenomenal and young and old and boys and girls, it’s amazing.”