What To Know
- The ESPN director made a clever James Bond reference during the US Open men’s singles final.
- Former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan was in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
- The creative camera work delighted viewers and social media users, who praised the perfect timing.
ESPN director Derek Mobley is clearly a James Bond fan as he gave a nod to Pierce Brosnan during Sunday’s (September 13) US Open men’s singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows.
Brosnan, who played special agent 007 from 1995 to 2002, was one of the many celebrities in attendance for the Grand Slam final between Germany’s Alexander Zverev and the United States’ Ben Shelton. Mobley and his camera crew didn’t miss the opportunity, nodding to the actor’s famous role in a shot fans are calling “absolute cinema.”
The shot came during the ESPN broadcast as the time-elapsed clock on the court ticked over to 0:07. The camera focused in close-up on the time before dissolving to a shot of Brosnan taking in the game from the stands.
“Whoever directed that deserves the trophy,” wrote on X user.
The camera panning from the clock at 0:07 to Pierce Brosnan.
Absolute cinema. pic.twitter.com/GBjDETvKZg
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 13, 2026
“One could say the cameraman had his Goldeneye on the clock,” added another.
Another said, “One of the best shots I’ve seen in this whole tournament!”
“That cut was smoother than the match point. Brosnan looked like he was waiting for the next Bond scene,” wrote one commenter.
“Always good to see someone who is genuinely good at their job. I wonder if the camera operators and the director planned this, or if it was spontaneous,” another wrote.
“What a cinematic genius,” said another.
One commenter added, “No caption. No explanation. Just perfect timing. Whoever called that camera shot had been waiting ALL match for their moment.”
Brosnan starred in four Bond films during his tenure as the beloved British spy, including GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). He currently stars in the Paramount+ crime drama MobLand, playing Conrad Harrigan, patriarch of the Harrigan crime family.
Daniel Craig took over the role of Bond after Brosnan and starred in five films in the franchise between 2006 and 2021. The search for the next Bond is currently underway, with rumored frontrunners including Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, and Jack Barton.