Despite having been one of the chosen few to headline the James Bond franchise, Pierce Brosnan can see truth in the recent criticisms made about the film series by fellow acclaimed actor Helen Mirren. Brosnan admits a "certain agreement" with Mirren over the franchise's alleged sexism, but believes there will "always be conflict" due to author/creator Ian Fleming's original vision for it.

Speaking with People, Brosnan addressed Mirren's recent critiques, claiming she never liked the James Bond franchise because the character and film series were rooted in sexism and misogyny. According to the British actor, Mirren "let them have it" with her sharp jabs at the James Bond movies and appreciated her stance. "," he said. "No, . Not at all. Yes, there's there."

Though Mirren spoke highly of Brosnan and his James Bond franchise successor, Daniel Craig, the award-winning actor blasted the portrayal of women in the spy action series, calling out its alleged sexist traits during a sitdown with The London Standard.

"The whole series of James Bond, it was not my thing. It really wasn’t. I never liked James Bond. I never liked the way women were in James Bond. The whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism. Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been," she said. Though Brosnan sees where Mirren's coming from, he believes the franchise doesn't want to make the mistake of straying too far from Fleming's vision. "But there's a certain world and room to move within the proscenium arch of what [Bond creator and author] Ian Fleming put down. So, there's always going to be conflict," he said.

Brosnan featured as 007 in four Bond films throughout the '90s and 2000s, including Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Though he's over 20 years removed from his last James Bond outing, Brosnan has expressed openness to a potential return to the role, if asked.

The James Bond franchise is experiencing a new dawn following Amazon's rights takeover, acquiring creative control from long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Amazon later confirmed that Spider-Man franchise producer Amy Pascal and Harry Potter producer David Heyman would become the new James Bond film series producers.

The first order of business is finding a new 007 for the 26th installment after Craig's five-film run with the James Bond franchise ended. Brosnan recently commented on the search, claiming the new Bond must be English amid rumors the next iteration of the character could be American. Brosnan also previously endorsed Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy and Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as fitting successors.

Along with finding a new 007, there is also the search for the next Bond villain, with Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp and Jenna Ortega among the betting frontrunners to play the next big bad.

Source: People