Pierce Brosnan will be back for a fifth outing as 007 in Bond 21 claims his cousin

Local UK newspaper The Shropshire Star is claiming a world exclusive today.

Pierce Brosnan is poised to return as James Bond for a fifth time, his Shropshire cousin revealed today.

The 50-year-old Irishman was reported last month to have been pensioned off in favour of a younger model, with names such as Clive Owen, Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Hugh Jackman among the favourites to take over.

But Ann O`Callaghan, Brosnan`s cousin who lives at Brookside in Telford (UK), today revealed that he was being lined up to play Ian Fleming`s secret agent at least one more time.

Speaking after returning from a trip to visit relatives at the Brosnan family home in Navan, Ireland, she said: "Pierce told me last year he was lined up to do at least one more, and possibly two, and this is still the case.

"No-one has sacked him, contrary to what the media has said," she added.

Thanks to mathewww for the alert.

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