Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan believes Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy would be perfect to play the iconic spy.

At the Oscar Wilde Awards on Thursday, Brosnan was asked by the BBC for his opinion on which actor should play Bond after Daniel Craig retired from the role in 2021, Variety reported.

“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Brosnan said of his compatriot.

Brosnan played Bond from 1995 to 2002, delivering four films: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. He then passed the baton to Craig, who embodied the enigmatic figure in five movies from 2006 to 2021.

Several names have been rumoured to succeed Craig, including Cillian Murphy, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Cillian Murphy, who is one of the favourites to win Best Actor at the 96th Academy Awards for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, mentioned he hadn’t heard the Bond rumors and emphasized his focus on enjoying the Academy Awards ceremony. He is competing against Paul Giamatti, Colman Domingo, Bradley Cooper, and Jeffrey Wright in the Best Actor category.