With Daniel Craig about to embark on his third outing as 007 alongside Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe and Albert Finney in Sam Mendes’ Bond 23 (a.k.a. Skyfall), we continue our look at some of the actors who have been under consideration for the role of Ian Fleming’s legendary secret agent during his illustrious screen career...
Sid James
As producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman geared up to launch the Bond franchise with Dr. No, a number of actors found themselves in contention for the coveted lead role, including one of Ian Fleming’s alleged favourites, wise-cracking comedian Sid James. Yes, that’s Sid James of Carry On fame. According to The Guardian, Sid filmed a screen test back in 1962, which also featured Carry On co-stars Barbara Windsor as Honey Rider, Charles Hawtrey as Dr. No and Kenneth Williams as M, but ultimately rejected the role for fear of being typecast (as a spy, rather than a lecherous womaniser, presumably).
Verdict: Killed in Action
Tom Jones
Last year, Welsh crooner Tom Jones suggested that his involvement with the Bond series almost extended beyond the theme song to 1965’s Thunderball, stating that Cubby Broccoli put him forward as a candidate for 007 at some point during the transitions between Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore. “[Broccoli] said when my name was put forward, 'Tom Jones is so recognisable as Tom Jones - he's a character, he's become this singer with a big character… would people accept him as being James Bond? Could they get past him being Tom Jones?' And so apparently that was what the problem was.'' Just to be clear, that’s Tom Jones he’s talking about.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Christopher Lambert
Sacrebleu! Bond… a Frenchman? Well, actually no, as his French accent reportedly ruled Highlander star Christopher Lambert out of contention for the role of 007 when Eon were scouting replacements for the aging Roger Moore after 1985’s A View to a Kill. Lambert had recently enjoyed international success with Greystone: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and bagged a César Award for Best Actor in Luc Besson’s Subway, but the closest he ever came to Bond was battling Sean Connery for the least-convincing accent in 1986’s Highlander and its 1991 sequel-that-shall-not-be-named.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Paul McGann
When Timothy Dalton eventually tired of waiting on his third outing as Bond and resigned from the role in 1994, a number of potential replacements were considered including English actor Paul McGann, who was best known for his work in the classic British black comedy Withnail & I. The producers eventually secured the services of Pierce Brosnan (the Irishman having been prevented from succeeding Roger Moore in 1985 due to his Remington Steele commitments) while McGann went on to portray another iconic British character when he was cast as the eighth Doctor in the 1996 TV movie Doctor Who.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Liam Neeson
Although Pierce Brosnan was the producers’ first choice to step in as 007 for the series’ 1995 relaunch, another alternative included fellow Irishman Liam Neeson, who was coming off the back of an Academy Award-nominated performance in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed war drama Schindler’s List. In 2005, the Batman Begins star revealed that he declined the opportunity despite heavy interest from the producers as he wasn’t interested in appearing in action movies, before going on to reinvent himself with appearances in action movies such as Taken and The A-Team.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Sam Neill
Another actor who found himself in contention for the role of Bond in The Living Daylights was New Zealander Sam Neill, who already possessed experience in the field of espionage thanks to his work in the 1983 TV miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies. Neill got so far as screen testing for the part, filming a selection of From Russia with Love scenes alongside A View to a Kill Bond girl Fiona Fullerton as Tatiana Romanova; nevertheless, the test was rejected by Albert R. Broccoli and Timothy Dalton was eventually persuaded to replace Roger Moore, having previously rejected offers to star as 007 in both On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only.
Verdict: Killed in Action
David Niven
Another of Ian Fleming’s preferred candidates for the role of Bond in Dr. No was Acadmy Award-winner David Niven and it has even been said that Fleming wrote the character in Casino Royale with Niven in mind. Considered too old by the producers at Eon, Niven lost out on the part to Sean Connery but he did go on to appear as Sir James Bond 007 in Charles K. Feldman’s confusing spoof of Fleming's first novel, with 1967's Casino Royale also featuring six other incarnations of the superspy in Terence Cooper, Woody Allen, Joanna Pettet, Daliah Lavi, Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress.
Verdict: Licence to Kill
Robert Pattinson
With MGM’s financial troubles holding up Bond 23 last year, several names were banded around as possible replacements for Daniel Craig and – in what must surely have been some bright spark’s idea of extending Bond’s target audience with young girls and sad and lonely middle-aged women – one of them was said to have been Twilight star Robert Pattinson. However, before we all start fearing the possibility of a Kristen Stewart Bond girl and a baldy Taylor Lautner as Blofeld, Eon apparently came to their senses and rejected Pattinson on the grounds of his “lack of personal hygiene and physical agility.” It’s probably not true, but we’d like to think it is.
Verdict: Missing, Presumed Undead
Burt Reynolds
American actor Burt Reynolds enjoyed his breakthrough in 1972 as star of Deliverance, but he could have became a household name several years earlier had he taken up Cubby Broccoli’s offer to replace the departing Sean Connery as 007 for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. “I said, in my infinite wisdom, An American can’t play James Bond. It just can’t be done,’” recalled the moustachioed one in 2005. “Now, in the middle of the night, you hear me wake up in this cold sweat going, ‘Bond, James Bond.” Reynolds is right that an American can’t play Bond, but if they could, he might have been a pretty good choice.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Jason Statham
Since his breakthrough in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Cockney hard man Jason Statham has forged a career as one of Hollywood's biggest action stars through roles in the likes of The Transporter, Crank and The Expendables. Back in 2005, he was also touted as a potential candidate for 007, with the actor stating that "I think I'd add a new, modern feel to [the series], definitely." Nevertheless, even with the aid of Sean Connery's Bond hairpiece, I just can't see Statham in the role, especially when you consider how he said he'd approach the character: "He's the James Bond that drinks a Heineken, not a martini." A lucky escape, then.
Verdict: Missing, Presumed Brown Bread
Richard Todd
Yet another actor said to have been Ian Fleming's first choice for Bond was Richard Todd, the real-life war hero who was among the first paratroopers to land in Normandy on D-Day, before going on to become one of Britain's biggest matinee idols with roles in war epics such as The Hasty Heart (which secured him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor), The Dambusters, D-Day, the Sixth of June and The Longest Day. Despite his heroics both on and off screen, Todd ultimately lost out on 007 - either due to scheduling conflicts or a veto from producer Harry Saltzman, who apparently felt he was too short for the role.
Verdict: Licence to Kill
Adam West
Having nabbed his signature role of the Caped Crusader in the classic 1960s television series Batman after impressing executives with his turn as the Bond-like Agent Q in a commercial for Nestle Quik, Adam West almost went one step further when Cubby Broccoli offered him the role of 007 in Diamonds Are Forever. As with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, West felt that Bond should remain British and turned down the opportunity, with Sean Connery subsequently returning to the franchise for one last official hurrah after United Artists dug deep into their pockets and stumped up a then-record pay cheque to secure their man.
Verdict: Killed in Action
What are your thoughts on these candidates (and my verdicts)? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
Gary Collinson (follow me on Twitter)
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