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
Q (James Bond) Q (James Bond) Q is a fictional character in the James Bond films and film novelisations. Q (standing for Quartermaster as well as a reference to the deceptive Q-ships) is a job title, unlike M, which is a cypher for the character's name. He is the head of Q Branch (or later Q Division), the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service. Q has appeared in 21 of the 24 Eon Productions James Bond films, the exceptions being "Live and Let Die", the 2006 "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace". The character was also featured in both