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Actors who were considered and rumoured to play James Bond in this film

posted 4 years ago by seanwhelan2310 (575)
11 replies | jump to latest

-Clive Owen - The ideal choice to play James Bond in the 2000s
-Hugh Jackman - Looks the part, but in reality we can't see him play two iconic characters
-Henry Cavill - Was definitely too young for the part at the time, but now he would be old enough to play the part.
-Sam Worthington - I could see it, underrated actor but he would be a first choice
-Rupert Friend - Like Cavill, at 25 he just seemed too young for the part
-Alex O'Loughlin - An interesting choice, keep in mind George Lazenby was an Aussie as well
-Juilian McMahon - Would have been a no brainer
-Karl Urban - A Kiwi Bond? Not against that casting idea.
-Goran Visnjic - He wouldn't be able to master a British accent
-Dougray Scott - Not a bad choice
-Christian Bale - He was Batman at the same time and would rather be a method actor
-Gerard Butler - Interesting idea, but I don't know if he would have been as good or better than Craig
-Ewan McGregor - More Obi-Wan Kenobi than Bond in my opinion
-Colin Farrell - Was recommended by Pierce Brosnan as I once heard.
-Jonathan Rhys Meyers - He would have been good for a much younger Bond than Craig back in 2006.
-Eric Bana - Remember these rumors when they thought he got the part?
-Jude Law - Couldn't see him in the role
-Orlando Bloom - Too pretty boy and too young back then
-Heath Ledger - Great actor but No
-James Purefoy - Wouldn't have worked
-Sam Hueghan - Auditioned for the role, but not a bad choice, even as potential successor to Craig
-Antony Starr - Interesting choice, but we would have never saw him as Homelander
-Dominic West - Not completely against that idea

I'm surprised that Idris Elba was never considered for the part back then.

[–] JohnMatrix (718) 4 years ago

Too bad Clive Owen didn’t get it, he would’ve been great Bond!

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 2 months ago

I didn't used to like Owen, but his performance in Killer Elite (which he stole from both Statham and De Niro), as well as his taking the piss out of himself in Ricky Gervais' Extras, turned me round. I'd like to have seen him as Bond.

[–] AnthonySocksss (447) 25 days ago

His role in Croupier (1998) was what almost got him the Bond role. Also Bourne Identity.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 21 days ago

Have you seen him in The International? Very Bond-like in that as well.

[–] HellFire (561) 2 months ago

I stopped taking these rumours and who had been offered James Bond seriously years ago. Bond is one of the most iconic cinematic characters of all time, and so I reckon a lot of actors and/or their agents/PR people just start rumours that they were considered or turned it down to give them a profile boost or just make them look good.

Mel Gibson in an interview said he got the call and turned it down in the 80's because he felt no one could be better than Sean Connery. It turns out Cubby Broccolli never wanted him and thought he was too short.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 2 months ago

I remember Burt Reynolds saying he turned it down because he thought Bond should be played by a Brit. I wonder if that's true.

[–] HellFire (561) 2 months ago

I heard the exact same thing about Clint Eastwood. We'll never really know but history tells us that no big movie star has ever made their debut as Bond. Which COULD mean that the producers generally don't want an A-lister over shadowing the character.

Connery had been in some films prior like Hell Drivers but hadn't hit the big time. Roger Moore was a big TV star with The Saint but not a top movie star. Timothy Dalton was mostly known for his stage work. Pierce Brosnan was a TV star with Remington Steele, if he was in a successful film it was in small/supporting roles - The Long Good Friday, Mrs. Doubtfire - and Daniel Craig had just started to rise in supporting roles in big films like Munich, and the lead in Layer Cake. But his star status came after Casino Royale. And well, we know all about George Lazenby😂

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 2 months ago

'And well, we know all about George Lazenby😂'

😂

[–] TheEndIsNigh (264) 25 days ago

Well for the rest of his life, Burt Reynolds said he became addicted to painkillers for years and his career went downhill after he had a serious jaw injury on the movie City Heat after a stunt man accidentally whacked him with a real chair instead of a prop one.

According to the director of that movie, Richard Benjamin, the jaw injury happened and caused problems for the rest of the shoot but he did it falling out of the make-up chair.

Make of that what you will.

[–] AnthonySocksss (447) 25 days ago

You forgot Christian Bale, the EON producers were considering him after American Psycho.

[–] KingBob (2109) 25 days ago

So glad Eric Bana didn’t get it, I can’t stand him as an actor.