Ben Whishaw, who played Q in three James Bond films alongside Daniel Craig, revealed over the weekend that he doesn’t expect to be called back for a fourth.
“I don’t think I’m going to be in the next one,” Whishaw told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. “I think they’re going to start all over again with a new cast, a completely new cast. That’s my guess, but I really don’t know. I have no idea.”
Although Whishaw said he would be willing to return for another Bond film if asked, he acknowledged that a fresh start could benefit the franchise.
“I think it might need a new lease of life and a whole new group of people,” he remarked. “But if they asked me, I would do it, of course.”
Unsurprisingly, there has been a lot of speculation about the future of the Bond series following 2021’s *No Time To Die*, in which Craig’s Bond was killed off.
The actor most frequently mentioned by British tabloids as Craig’s potential successor is Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Back in March, Taylor-Johnson received support from former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who praised the actor’s abilities, saying he “has the chops” to take on the iconic role. Brosnan co-starred with Taylor-Johnson in the 2009 film The Greatest, which he also produced.
“One of the first movies we made, one of our earliest movies, was The Greatest—and he was in it,” Brosnan said during an interview on *The Ray D’Arcy Show* on RTÉ Radio 1. “He was ‘The Greatest’ in it. It’s a lovely movie with Aaron, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, and myself.”
Brosnan continued, “So yes, I read the news about his potential to be Bond, and I would definitely tip my hat to the fellow.”
If Taylor-Johnson is chosen as the next Bond, Brosnan has some advice for him: “Be bold. Go out there, have a great time. Just love it. Just go for it.”