Pierce Brosnan’s stardom skyrocketed after joining the James Bond franchise as 007 in 1995 following Timothy Dalton’s exit.

He starred as the secret agent for seven years before being unexpectedly replaced. Brosnan’s departure devastated fans and as he recently admitted it also took him by surprise.

The actor was forced to hang up his tuxedo after Die Another Day, which failed to impress critics and was labelled as a “critical disappointment.”

While many outlets claimed it relied too much…