Pierce Brosnan enrages Twitter and Piers Morgan with his talk of a 'female Bond'

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James Bond fans have their knickers well and truly in a bunch after former 007 Pierce Brosnan said it was time for male actors to 'get out of the way', and let a woman play the British spy.

Asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he thought it was time for a female Bond, Brosnan replied unequivocally: “Yes! 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.”

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 07:  (EDITORS NOTE: image was processed with digital filters) Actor Pierce Brosnan attends a photocall during the 45th Deauville American Film Festival on September 07, 2019 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/WireImage)
Pierce Brosnan (Credit: Marc Piasecki/WireImage)

Brosnan, who played Bond on four occasions, then added the caveat: “I don't think that's going to happen with the Broccolis. I don't think that is going to happen under their watch.”

Read more: Danny Boyle backs Pattinson as the next Bond

So considering that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson of Eon Productions are the custodians of Ian Fleming's character, and will be for the foreseeable future, it's probably not that likely to happen.

Timothy Dalton left, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, three of the actors who have portrayed the English secret agent James Bond in the Bond movies line up at a central London cinema to celebrate the life of Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli Sunday, Nov. 17, 1996. The American film producer Broccoli was responsible for the seventeen Bond movies from 'Dr. No' to the recent 'Goldeneye'.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Timothy Dalton left, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan line up to celebrate the life of Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli Sunday, Nov. 17, 1996. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

But that's not stopped Brosnan being treated as a punching bag by countless Bond fans online.

Piers Morgan has even joined in. He ranted on Good Morning Britain that the idea was 'absolutely pathetic'.

“He was the last one standing. He was the last cave man guy, who would throw a woman over his shoulder. But we don’t want any of that. Women don’t want sex with men any more. I think it’s pathetic. Absolutely pathetic virtue-signalling nonsense,” he said.

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan as 007 in the James Bond film 'The World Is Not Enough', 1999. Here he threatens Swiss banker Lachaise, played by English actor Patrick Malahide, with a Colt M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images)
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan as 007 in the James Bond film 'The World Is Not Enough', 1999. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images)

Morgan ranting aside, forthcoming Bond movie No Time To Die, kind of broaches the possibility of a 'female Bond', according to reports.

Read more: Who should sing the No Time To Die theme?

Rumour has it that Daniel Craig's Bond, having left active service, finds that his 007 code name has been taken up by another agent.

That agent is the character called Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch in the movie, who Bond encounters in Jamaica.

IVER HEATH, ENGLAND - JUNE 20: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets British actors Lashana Lynch (L) and Naomie Harris (R) as he tours the set of the 25th James Bond Film at Pinewood Studios on June 20, 2019 in Iver Heath, England.  The Prince of Wales, Patron, The British Film Institute and Royal Patron, the Intelligence Services toured the set of the 25th James Bond Film to celebrate the contribution the franchise has made to the British film industry. (Photo by Niklas Halle'n - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets British actors Lashana Lynch (L) and Naomie Harris (R) as he tours the set of the 25th James Bond Film at Pinewood Studios on June 20, 2019. (Photo by Niklas Halle'n - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Per the movie's official synopsis: “James Bond has left active service when his friend Felix Leiter enlists his help in the search for a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that the scientist was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

Also starring Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Jeffrey Wright and Ben Whishaw, it's due out on 3 April next year.