James Bond: Why Casino Royale Rebooted The 007 Franchise

5. Why Brosnan Left

It wasn’t just the criticisms of Die Another Day that spawned Craig’s first outing. Additionally, Brosnan’s departure from the role also contributed. It was a decision that Brosnan didn’t seem to be aware of, thinking that he had agreed to do another movie and seemed enthusiastic about reprising the role. As a result of this, being replaced as Bond seemed to aggravate him.

In an interview for Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films, he claimed that he was ‘kicked to the curb’ by Broccoli and Wilson suggesting that his abrupt departure distressed him although he did continue to support his replacement, Daniel Craig. Furthermore, Brosnan was approaching the age of 50 by Die Another Day’s release and some viewers were concerned that by staying on for more movies, his presence would make for uncomfortable viewing as Roger Moore’s performance in A View To A Kill was at 58 years old.

Therefore, the discussions of a reboot seemed to be the necessary step forward for the Bond franchise, especially since the genre of action movies were gradually moving in a more innovative direction.

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