Pierce Brosnan is beginning to sound just a tad bitter. The dashing 51 year old, it has been confirmed, will not reprise his role as James Bond in the most successful franchise in motion picture history, and this doesn't seem to be a fact he takes smoothly in his stride.

ITV.com reported Brosnan, at the premiere of his new, decidedly not secret agent film, After The Sunset, proclaiming that he wanted to be remembered as the 'ultimate Bond':

"I would not like anyone else to be Bond. I would like them to stop there and never do another one."

Brosnan last wore the fabled Bond tux in Die Another Day, and his last outings with the legendary character have visibly expressed his reluctance to give up the part. His last three films have all been, at various stages, been declared as his "last Bond film", but only now have studios officially confirmed that Brosnan is too old to reprise the role.

Brosnan, however, does realise the fact that there will be more films, even without him. He said, "It's a modern franchise so there will be another Bond, and whoever does it will have a great time."

Brosnan is backing fellow Irishman Colin Farrell to step into his critically-panned but box-office-ruling shoes, but at 28, the star of Oliver Stone's upcoming Alexander seems far too young to take on the role.

Speculations about 'the next James Bond' are rife, and this is a casting decision even bigger than that of Superman.

Prepare for the global battle for the greatest martini in the world; the fights have just begun.

Photographs: Getty Images