James Bond franchise has lost its humour, says Pierce Brosnan

Brosnan says the franchise, now being led by Daniel Craig, stopped having fun as it faced competition from the Bourne action movies, fronted Matt Damon.

This undated publicity file photo provided by BMW, shows Pierce Brosnan, as Bond, and Michelle Yeoh, as the Bond-girl, Wai Lin, in a scene from the James Bond 1997 movie "Tomorrow Never Dies." Who qualifies as a Bond girl has also changed over the years

LOS ANGELES: Former 007 onscreen, Actor Pierce Brosnan has criticised the recent James Bond films, saying they lacked humour.

The 65-year-old actor, who starred as the iconic British spy in four films from 1995 to 2002, said the franchise, now being led by Daniel Craig, stopped having fun as it faced competition from the Bourne action movies, fronted Matt Damon.

"I knew there had been a seismic shift (with films like 'The Bourne Identity'), and little did I know I was going to be part of that in the curtain falling on my contract.

I knew they had to make adjustments.

They had strong competition and they haven't reinvented it, but given it a much more muscular, dynamic twist," Brosnan told Rake magazine.

Three of the actors who played James Bond, Timothy Dalton left,
Roger Moore, center, and Pierce Brosnan, at a London cinema. |AP

"When I played him (Bond), you have to let the audience in that this is a fantastic joke. What I am doing here, jumping off a motorcycle and catching up a plane, is completely preposterous. But for me you had to let them in," he added.

The franchise will be getting a new face to lead after Craig bows out with one final film, scheduled to release next year.