Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has ruled out ever directing a James Bond film, claiming the franchise can no longer afford him. The legendary filmmaker, known for classics like Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was famously a huge 007 fan and twice offered his services to producer Cubby Broccoli in the 1970s, only to be rejected both times.
Spielberg's Bond Rejection Story
Speaking on the Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Spielberg recalled his first approach after the massive success of Jaws. “I approached Cubby Broccoli after Jaws was a big hit. I’d always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw Dr. No, so I called Cubby after Jaws and volunteered. I said, ‘If you need a director, I would love to direct one.’ And he said no.”
A few years later, during the Roger Moore era, the Bond producers wanted to incorporate a musical nod to Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind into the 1979 film Moonraker. Spielberg saw an opportunity. “Then Cubby called me again after Close Encounters came out, which was another big hit. A few years later, he said, ‘We’d like to use the five notes in Moonraker.’ And I said, ‘I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you permission to use the five notes if you let me direct a Bond film.’ And he said no. But I gave him the five notes anyway.”
Spielberg added, “So they consistently turned me down - at least, Broccoli did. He never explained why he wasn’t letting me into the Bond family.”
The Birth of Indiana Jones
Desperate to make an action movie in the vein of Bond, Spielberg shared his frustration with friend George Lucas in 1977, while they were in Hawaii ahead of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope. Lucas responded, “I have something better than Bond. It’s called Indiana Smith,” which was the original title. Lucas pitched the premise of the Indiana Jones series, and Spielberg was immediately on board. “That’s how I got that job,” he said.
Now, looking back, Spielberg feels no regret. “If they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: ‘You can’t afford me.’”
Spielberg's New Film and Belief in Aliens
Spielberg is currently promoting his new movie, Disclosure Day, which explores the topic of extraterrestrial life. He reiterated his belief in aliens, citing whistleblowers from high-level government and military sources. “Well, one of the things that prompted me to make it was that whistleblowers were now coming from higher levels of authority. They were coming from the United States Air Force. They were coming from Navy pilots. They were coming from our intelligence community in Washington. People were blowing the whistle and saying that the government has been hiding, for decades, the truth that we are not alone. And I started believing those believers.”
Spielberg's Bond rejection story has become a legendary piece of Hollywood history, ultimately leading to one of cinema's most beloved franchises.
