Piers Morgan slams Pierce Brosnan for supporting the idea of a female James Bond: 'Not on my watch'
British journalist Piers Morgan, on Monday, September 9, slammed former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan for supporting the prospect of a woman playing the titular role in upcoming Bond movies. Morgan called the idea of a female Bond "pathetic" and "virtue-signaling nonsense", according to reports.
The television host, during a segment of 'Good Morning Britain', said: "The campaign to save James Bond starts right here because they are not changing James Bond to a damn woman on my watch."
Morgan continued his furious rant at Brosnan and accused the actor of being "woked ...Hollywood's gone all woke, they're not allowed to say anything [controversial]". The TV host denounced Brosnan's stance after the actor said that he would support a woman playing the role of the 007 agent after Daniel Craig, who is set to appear in his fifth and final Bond film in 2020.
"I think we've watched the guys do it for the last 40 years, get out of the way, guys, and put a woman up there. I think it would be exhilarating, it would be exciting," Brosnan told the Hollywood Reporter.
The actor, who appeared in four Bond films between 1995 and 2002, however, admitted that he does not foresee the change happening under the franchise's long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
"I don't think that's going to happen with the Broccolis. I don't think that is going to happen under their watch," Brosnan told the outlet.
The latest Bond film 'No Time to Die' made news earlier this year after it was revealed that 'Fleabag' and 'Killing Eve' creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge had been hired to screen the script to make it more respectful for women in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
The Bond franchise has previously been criticized for ill-treatment of its female characters. Waller-Bridge, while talking to Deadline in May, had said: "There's been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that's bollocks. I think he's absolutely relevant now."
"It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn't have to. He needs to be true to this character," she said, adding that she had to rework some sections of the script to make its female characters feel "like real people".