AceShowbiz - Pierce Brosnan first portrayed the iconic spy, James Bond, in the 1995 film GoldenEye. Brosnan was seen as the ideal choice to rejuvenate the franchise in a post-Cold War context. However, this was not the first occasion he was linked to the role of Bond. In fact, he was producer Albert R. Broccoli's preferred candidate for the character in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, but his commitment to the television series Remington Steele stood in the way.

Brosnan starred in the title role of Remington Steele, a nostalgic favorite from the '80s, since its inception in 1982. This comedy-drama series featured private investigator Laura Holt, played by Stephanie Zimbalist, who faced challenges in attracting clients due to her gender. To address this dilemma, she created a fictional male superior, Remington Steele, casting Brosnan's character, an enigmatic ex-criminal, in the role.

During his time on Steele, Brosnan established himself as a strong contender for the role of James Bond. In 1986, it appeared that the stars were aligning for him: Remington Steele had just been canceled after its fourth season, and Roger Moore had declared his retirement from the Bond franchise. Reports emerged indicating that Brosnan was in discussions to take over the iconic role for The Living Daylights.

However, a significant obstacle emerged. Despite the decline in ratings for Season 4, the show's dedicated fan base rallied to revive Remington Steele, resulting in a surprising uptick in viewership during summer reruns. Broccoli was reluctant to have his new Bond sharing the screen with a character from a television series while the film was in theaters. Consequently, with Brosnan still under contract for Remington Steele, Timothy Dalton was cast as James Bond instead.

Remington Steele garnered modest success throughout its initial three seasons, developing a loyal audience and securing its position as one of NBC's notable offerings at 10 p.m. This devoted fan base campaigned vigorously for the series' revival after its fourth season. Eventually, Remington Steele returned briefly for a final six-episode run, which ultimately delayed Brosnan's entry into the Bond legacy for several years.

Even after Dalton took on the role in The Living Daylights, speculation continued that Brosnan would eventually step into the iconic shoes of Bond. Ultimately, Dalton reprised his role for Licence to Kill in 1989 before stepping back from the franchise. When production for GoldenEye began in 1994, Brosnan finally achieved his long-awaited dream of becoming James Bond.

GoldenEye quickly became a commercial success and, upon its release, was the highest-grossing Bond film in history. It was later outperformed by Brosnan's subsequent entry, 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. Brosnan continued to portray 007 in two additional films, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day, before Daniel Craig took over the iconic role.