Through four films together, Brosnan and Dame Judi Dench gave the flagging series a more contemporary update, which also saw its lead surprisingly replaced with very little notice.
While his last film would celebrate 40 years and 20 films in the James Bond canon, change was once again in the air.
Starting off with the very serious Goldeneye, but finishing with the very silly Die Another Day, the Pierce Brosnan era also brought another pleasant surprise – his first female boss.
With one foot in the wittier side of the pool that Roger Moore’s films occupied, and the other in Sean Connery’s era of a killer edge, Brosnan’s tenure in the role was a mixed, but exciting bag.