Pierce Brosnan was offered the role of James Bond, but the publicity improved "Remington Steele"s ratings and it was renewed, requiring Brosnan to contractually return to the show, this caused Eon Productions to have to look elsewhere for the new 007. The producers instead hired Timothy Dalton for "The Living Daylights" (1987), and "Licence to Kill" (1989). While Brosnan was reluctant to discuss losing the Bond role, in part because Dalton was a friend, he appeared in Diet Coke commercials portraying what the "Los Angeles Times" described as "a dashing Bond-like character", and NBC advertised "Noble House" with Brosnan dressed in a
James Bond 007: The Duel point to destroy the base. Along the way, Bond must battle numerous thugs and familiar bosses. The game is often compared to Namco's "Rolling Thunder" series, although it was much less popular with the critics. "The Duel" was released four years after Timothy Dalton's last outing as James Bond (in "Licence to Kill"), but his likeness is used in the game, most notably the opening screens, thus making it Dalton's last appearance as Bond to date. It was also the final Bond game to be released by Domark, who had released a series of Bond themed games beginning in 1985