Quentin Tarantino once pitched Pierce Brosnan a James Bond film

Former 007 star Pierce Brosnan has opened up about the famous director’s pitch to collaborate on a James Bond movie with him.

In an alternate universe, Quentin Tarantino followed up Kill Bill Vol. 2 with a James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan.

According to the 007 alum, he and a very drunk Tarantino met in the early aughts to discuss collaborating on a James Bond movie, but the powers that be struck down the idea. Brosnan told Esquire that it’s “a shame” that Tarantino’s James Bond take never got off the ground, as it “would be a good one to watch.” Eat your heart out, Octopussy.

RELATED: Star reveals he auditioned to play James Bond

RELATED: Bond scene that made Daniel Craig cry

James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan.

During a live video released on Esquire UK’s YouTube page on Sunday, Brosnan revealed that he would love to return to James Bond (he played 007 in four films from 1995 to 2002). When asked if he would ever team up with action veteran Tarantino, the actor gave an emphatic response.

“Yes, I’d love to think so,” said Brosnan. “Quentin, you know where to find me.”

In fact, that almost happened back in 2004. Brosnan revealed that shortly after the release of Kill Bill Vol. 2, Tarantino requested to meet him at a Hollywood hotel.

“I got there at 7pm, I like to be punctual,” he recalled. “7:15 came around. No Quentin, he was upstairs doing press. Someone sent over a martini, so I had a martini, and I waited ’til 7:30, and I thought, where the heck is he? Word came down, apologies, so I thought, okay, I’ll have another martini.”

Finally, Tarantino arrived, and the martini fest continued.

“We were fairly smokered — I was fairly smokered,” said the Bond star. “He was pounding the table saying, ‘You are the best James Bond! I wanna do James Bond with you!’ And it was very close quarters in the restaurant and I thought, please calm down. But we don’t tell Quentin Tarantino to calm down.”

US filmmaker Quentin Tarantino poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2, 2020. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP

“Anyway, he wanted to do James Bond,” continued Brosnan. “I went back to the shop and told them, but it wasn’t meant to be. No Quentin Tarantino for James Bond.”

Brosnan’s 2004 meeting with Tarantino was likely one of his last chances to step into Bond’s shoes. His final appearance as 007 came in Die Another Day (2002), and four years later, the franchise was rebooted with Daniel Craig as a star.

While Craig is definitely a great Bond, there’s no denying that Tarantino’s efforts could have elevated Brosnan’s tenure.

This article originally appeared in Decider and was reproduced with permission.