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Actors considered for the role of James Bond

posted 3 years ago by seanwhelan2310 (576)
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The Connery Era (circa. 1961)
-Cary Grant - Felt he was too old at time being 58; also just wanted to do one film. Great actor he was bit too "high class"
-James Mason - Was offered a three-picture contract but only agreed to do two; turned down the role.
-Rex Harrison - Was turned down in favour of Sean Connery
-Stanley Baker - Did not want to commit to franchise.
-Trevor Howard - Sean Connery was chosen
-Roger Moore - Was said to have been considered and was one of Ian Fleming's' choices but was never approached.
-Richard Johnson - Was said to be director Terence Young's choice but did not want a contract, because he was under contract to MGM.
-David Niven - Was Ian Fleming's preferred choice but was turned down in favour of Connery
-Richard Todd - Ian Fleming's first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it.
-Richard Burton - Turned it down because he felt that the movies were an untested new concept.
-Patrick McGoohan - Turned it down because he felt the role was too promiscuous.

Out of all these names, I can't say who I would have seen in the role besides Connery.

The Lazenby Era (circa. 1967/68)
-Dick Van Dyke - Cubby Broccolli offered him the role but had to turn it down because of his poor attempts at an English accent. He was right to turn it down then.
-Michael Caine - Turned down the role because he did not want to be typecast as a spy. Couldn't see him as Bond but terrific actor though.
-Terence Stamp - Met with producer Harry Salzmann, but Stamp's idea for future Bond movies felt "too radical for Bond". Could have seen him in the role.
-Oliver Reed - Met with the producers but they did not want to spend money on fixing Reed's "public image". But then again, I thought he would have been great in the role.
-Timothy Dalton - Was approached for the part but at 22 he felt that he was too yound and did not wish to replace Sean Connery.
-Peter Snow - Auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but was rejected by Broccoli and Saltzman for being too tall
-Eric Braeden - Cubby Broccoli at first thought he was British and so considered him.However Broccoli, who believed that no one from outside the Commonwealth would be suitable as James Bond, decided against him after finding he was German American.
-Michael Billington - Auditioned for the role
-Jeremy Brett - Turned it down because he feared that the role would harm his career. However I feel like he would have been a great Bond.

If I had to choose an alternative to Lazenby, it would either Stamp, Reed or Brett. I'm surprised that Terence Cooper (who had appeared in the Bond spoof Casino Royale in 1967) was never considered, he would have knocked it out the park as well.

Connery's Return (1970/71)
-Burt Reynolds - Turned down the role because he felt that Bond should be an Englishman
-Adam West - Cubby Broccoli met him about the role but he turned down the role because he felt that Bond should be an Englishman.
-Robert Wagner - Turned down the role because he felt that Bond should be an Englishman
-Roger Moore - Was considered but was busy filming the show The Persuaders.
-Clint Eastwood - Was offered a lot of money for the role but turned it down as he felt that Bond must remain an Englishman
-Michael Gambon - Turned down the role as felt that he did not have good enough looks for Bond.
-John Gavin = Was signed as the first American Bond after George Lazenby quit, but Connery decided to return to the role instead. I felt that had he done Bond, he would have hurt the series.

Hard to say who to choose had Connery not come back, I liked Connery, but also felt that Lazenby should have done another Bond movie.

The Moore era (1972)
-Burt Reynolds - Was one of United Artists choices.
-Michael Billington - Was the front runner
-Jeremy Brett - Roger Moore won the role
-Julian Glover - Roger Moore won the role. He would later play the villain in "For Your Eyes Only" alongside Moore as Bond.
-John Ronane - Roger Moore won the role.
-Peter Laughton - Cubby Broccoli had remarked that he would have been chosen had he auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, following the casting of Lazenby, the producers were wary of choosing actors with limited or no acting experience and decided to settle with Moore.
-Timothy Dalton - Turned it down because he still did wish to follow Connery. Was said to have been recommended by actor Peter O'Toole

The only two actors I see as an alternative to Moore are both Brett and Billington but Moore did great in the role.

For Your Eyes Only
-Timothy Dalton - Turned down the role because he did not like the direction Moore was taking the movies in.
-Lewis Collins - Roger Moore returned
-Michael Billington - Roger Moore returned
-Ian Ogilivy - Roger Moore returned

If Moore didn't return I would have gone with Dalton, Ogilivy is an interesting choice as well as he had played Simon Templar after Moore.

[–] seanwhelan2310 (576) 3 years ago

Octopussy
-Michael Billington - Remained the front runner incase Moore did not return
-Timothy Dalton - Remained a candidate incase Moore did not return.
-Olivier Tobias - Was a candidate incase Moore did not return.
-Lewis Collins - Collins had stated that when he auditioned producers thought of him as "too aggressive".
-Ian Ogilivy - Remained a candidate incase Moore did not return
-James Brolin - Screentested for the role, and despite being American, he came close to getting the part, but Moore ended up returning.

Brolin, from his screentest would have been an interesting choice, despite being American although I'm against the idea of an American playing Bond.

The Dalton Era (1986)
-Sam Neill - Screentested for the role and although he impressed the producers as Reilly, Ace of Spies, he felt that he wasn't right for the part.
-Pierce Brosnan - Was originally cast in the role but after Timothy Dalton could not take the part due to his commitment to Brenda Starr. However, Brosnan's option to star in a further season of Remington Steele was taken up by NBC, and EON refused to have him do both Steele and Bond at the same time. He lost out to Dalton.
-Mark Greenstreet - Had told Terry Wogan that he screentested for the role but lost out to Dalton.
-Antony Hamilton - Had met with the producers but producer Cubby Broccoli was hesitant to cast him because Hamilton in real life was gay.
-Robert Bathrust - Was persuaded by a producer to audition for the role but he felt that his audition was a way for the producers to persuade Dalton.
-Christopher Lambert - His French accent prevented him from getting the role
-Mel Gibson - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wanted him for the role, but was rejected by Albert. R. Broccoli for not being British
-Finlay Light - The little-known Australian model was one of the main contenders for the role in The Living Daylights, even signing a ten-year contract. Timothy Dalton was chosen anyway.
-Sean Bean - Lost out to Timothy Dalton.

[–] seanwhelan2310 (576) 3 years ago

The Brosnan era (1994)
-Sean Bean - Was a main choice in case Dalton vacated the role but was overruled and ended up playing the villainous 006 instead.
-Hugh Grant - Was considered but lost out to Pierce Brosnan. But I feel that Grant isn't tough enough of right for the part.
-Jason Isaacs- Interesting choice
-James Purefoy - Interesting choice.
-Mel Gibson - Lost out to Brosnan and was busy filming "Bravehart"
-Liam Neeson - Was not interested in action movies at the time and had stated that had he taken the role his girlfriend wouldn't have married him.
-Mark Frankel - Lost out to Brosnan
-Nathaniel Parker - Lost out to Brosnan
-Lambert Wilson - Lost out to Brosnan
-Paul McGaan - Was given an audition and did impress producers; however, MGM still insisted on Pierce Brosnan for the role, but it was believed that McGann would have stepped in if Brosnan turned down the role.
-Ralph Fiennes - Auditioned for the role.

Out these candidates, Bean would have been an interesting Bond, imagine had Brosnan played 006 and Bean played Bond, that would have been insane. McGaan could have been good as well.

Craig era (2005)
-Dougray Scott - Was considered the role even before Die Another Day, but was later turned down because the producers felt that he was too old fir the part.
-Clive Owen - Producers weren't willing to provide gross profit points
-Ewan McGregor - Turned down the role due to fear of being typecast
-Christian Bale - Turned down the role as he had already played a serial killer before in "American Psycho".
-Dominic West - Had heard rumours that Daniel Craig won the role and ruled himself out.
-Julian McMahon - Lost out to Daniel Craig
-Sam Worthington - Auditioned for the role but he that it wasn't right for him.
-Hugh Jackman - Turned down the role as he did not want to be identified for playing two iconic characters.
-Rupert Friend - Lost out to Daniel Craig
-Karl Urban - Was considered but was unable to screentest due to filming commitments.

[–] seanwhelan2310 (576) 3 years ago

Craig era (2005) cont.
-Alex O' Loughlin - Was one of the final candidates but lost to Craig
-Sam Hueghan - Auditioned for the role but lost of Craig
-Henry Cavill - Was a finalist for the role and Marton Campbell wanted to cast him but producers felt that at 22 he was too young.
-Goran Višnjić - Auditioned for the role but was unable to master a British accent.
-Antony Starr - Auditioned for the role but lost out to Craig

Out of these choices, my favourites are McGregor, West, Worthington and Starr. Urban would have been interesting as well but did any of these actors know that Bond would be killed in his last film?