Forgive Pierce Brosnan if he's a little shaken and stirred up about this whole James Bond mess. As the actor explains, he was in talks to return as 007 in the 21st Bond flick when "in the middle of negotiations, a paralysis set in [amongst the producers]," he says. "They don't know how to go forward. So I'm not sure [if I'll be back]... They know where to find me if they want me."

Rumors persist that MGM may be looking to re-energize the franchise with a new, younger Bond. Names like Hugh Jackman, Orlando Bloom, Heath Ledger and Jude Law have been bandied about as possible successors. "Honest to God, I don't know what is going on here," Brosnan sighs. "Someone's playing a game, and it is very hard to find the truth in [this business]. As far as I'm concerned, I did what I was employed to do: That was play James Bond to the best of my abilities, make some good money for myself, make a lot of money for the studio and the producers, and, hopefully, above all else, make something for the public to see and say, 'Bond is back, and Bond is good,' and to be part of that legacy.

"It is such an iconic character, so [if] I do another one, that will be that," he continues. "If I don't, it will be somebody else — one of the lads on that 'list.' I was on that list years ago. [Eventually], it is just your time to move on and become another number."

If Brosnan sounds bitter, well, he's not really. Not only does he have a slew of un-Bond-related projects on the horizon — including his new romantic comedy with Julianne Moore, Laws of Attraction (opening Friday) — but the onetime Remington Steele star remains an international sex symbol at the ripe age of 50. "Bring it on," he says of his enduring heartthrob status. "It is really flattering and long may it last."