These huge stars from the acting world came within reach of one of the biggest roles of all time (Picture: Shutterstock/Getty)
James Bond has become one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood with only a handful of stars stepping into 007’s shoes.
Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore, Sean Connery, and Pierce Brosnan have all had their martinis shaken, not stirred, with Daniel Craig becoming the latest superspy to grace our screens.
After his final outing as Bond in 2021’s No Time To Die, fans have been speculating which star will next take on the role.
Various names have been thrown into the ring, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Mescal, and Jonathan Bailey.
But there can only be one, meaning there’s sure to be several huge names who audition for and lose out on one of the film world’s biggest gigs.
It happens every time we get a new Bond film, after all, with these 13 actors all losing out on the chance to don the famous tuxedo.
Sir Michael Caine
Hollywood icon Sir Michael Caine did at least get to play a different big screen spy (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
Legendary actor Sir Michael Caine very almost became the world’s greatest spy – onscreen, that is.
It has been reported the Great Escaper star, 91, was offered the role in 1967 after Sir Sean Connery stepped down from playing Bond after You Only Live Twice, before returning for Diamonds Are Forever.
However, Sir Michael felt the role wasn’t quite the right fit for him, telling The Daily Express: ‘I was always very much more ordinary. Bond was a glamorous, imaginative creation. I’ve always played real people.’
Sir Michael had already played Harry Palmer in the 1965 classic The Ipcress File, so he hasn’t exactly missed out on dipping his toe into silver-screen espionage.
Clint Eastwood
Western star Clint Eastwood turned down the role for one unlikely reason (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for AFI)
Clint Eastwood may be best known for his Western roles, but he could have made a mark in the world of spy thrillers.
As well as Sir Michael, Bond creators approached Eastwood, 94, to take on the titular role following Sir Sean’s exit from the franchise.
However, the Dirty Harry actor said he turned down the opportunity because he believed James Bond should be British.
He told the Los Angeles Times: ‘My lawyer represented the Broccolis [who produce the Bond franchise], and he came and said: “They would love to have you.”
‘But to me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal. It didn’t feel right for me to be doing it.’
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill almost swapped his superhero cape for a suave tuxedo (Picture: Cindy Ord/WireImage)
Henry Cavill has often been among favourite lists to become the next Bond, and it turns out, he very almost pipped Daniel Craig to the coveted role.
The Superman actor, 41, auditioned for the role in the early 00s but was deemed too young to portray the superspy.
Argylls director Matthew Vaughn shared a story with Cavill during a SiriusXM interview earlier this year, recalling: ‘When Henry was auditioning for Bond, I was at Pinewood, right? And Daniel was as well at the same time.
‘I’d go off and meet with Daniel and [I’d] say what’s going on, and he said there’s this young guy, Henry Cavill I think they’re seeing as well [for the auditions].’
He told Cavill: ‘It got down to the last two for Bond… And I know that the director preferred your audition. But [producer] Barbara [Broccoli] preferred [Craig]. So, just so you know, and they decided you were too young.’
In a separate 2022 interview, Cavill said: ‘They told me I was close. They told me it was ultimately down to, and this is what I’ve been told, it was just down to me and Daniel [Craig], and I was the younger option.’
Cavill continued on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: ‘They obviously went with Daniel and I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel.’
Sam Neill
Even though Sam Neill came close, he was relieved to not get the role (Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Sam Neill became a household name after appearing as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, but he almost became the central figure of the espionage films.
The Omen III actor, 77, came very close to playing Bond in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, who went on to be played by Timothy Dalton.
Speaking in 2022, the star said he just wasn’t interested in taking on the role and wouldn’t have taken it even if he was asked.
‘First of all, I wouldn’t have taken the role if they’d asked me to do it,’ he told Den Of Geek.
‘It was the last time that I was bullied into doing a screen test. My agent insisted that I go and do it, [saying] it would be rude otherwise. So reluctantly I went out to Pinewood [Studios] and did this silly thing for a part I never wanted to do.’
Adam West
Just like Eastwood, there was one reason Adam West allegedly didn’t want to play Bond (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Famed for starring as Batman in the hit 1960s TV show as well as the 1966 movie, we almost saw Adam West as Bond.
Robin actor Burt Ward claimed his late co-star turned down the 007 role in the 1960s for the same reason as Eastwood and that a British actor should instead take the spot.
‘Yes, he actually turned the role down, and the reason why? He thought from a technical standpoint that it should be a Brit that plays the role,’ he told The Express.
‘I think he would have been great, he would have been fabulous. He would have been closer, in my opinion, to Sean Connery, even than Roger Moore. Sean has even more of that satirical twinkle in the eye.’
Christian Bale
Christian Bale had a scathing take on the coveted role (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Just like Neill, American Psycho star Christian Bale has absolutely no interest in playing James Bond, despite almost getting the chance to.
Barbara Broccoli went to the Batman star, 50, with an offer to play Bond after Pierce Brosnan left the role in 1999 following his appearance in The World Is Not Enough.
But it was revealed Bale turned down the role outright, revealing to The Express in 2023 his reason why.
‘James Bond was every despicable stereotype about England and British actors,’ he said.
He even compared the role to his iconic character Patrick Bateman, stating: ‘I already played a serial killer.’
Cary Grant
Cary Grant not getting the role meant Sean Connery did (Picture: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images)
Cary Grant was initially actually in the role of James Bond, but one major stumbling point saw him lose the role and Sean Connery take it.
The late To Catch a Thief and North By Northwest star was hired by Dr No producer Cubby Broccoli, but he reportedly only wanted to make one movie.
This was because he was 58 years old at the time and didn’t want to sign a multi-movie deal that many younger actors did.
This led producers to cast Connery instead, who went on to appear in seven Bond films.
Hugh Jackman
It was never meant to be for the Wolverine icon (Picture: Gotham/FilmMagic)
Hugh Jackman was seriously considered for the role of Bond after Pierce Brosnan checked out after 2002’s Die Another Day.
After catching producers’ eyes as X-Men hero Wolverine, Jackman, 56, revealed he was involved in initial discussions to play the spy, but his commitments to the X-Men franchise meant they amounted to nothing.
‘I was about to do X-Men 2 and a call came from my agent asking if I’d be interested in Bond,’ he said (per People).
‘I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real.
‘And the response was: “Oh, you don’t get a say. You just have to sign on.” I was also worried that between Bond and X-Men, I’d never have time to do different things.’
After Brosnan’s departure, Daniel Craig took on the role, first appearing in 2006’s Casino Royale.
Liam Neeson
There was a very important factor that meant Liam Neeson couldn’t play Bond (Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
The Taken films proved Liam Neeson has what it takes to command an action franchise, so he could have been the perfect fit for Bond.
The Irish actor, 72, was rumoured to have turned down the lead role in the 1995 film GoldenEye, which became Brosnan’s first appearance.
However, Neeson denied the rumours during an interview with Rolling Stone but did say he had received ‘feelers’ from casting directors attached to the project.
But he turned it down because it would have meant he could not marry his late wife Natasha Richardson, with whom he tied the knot in 1994 and remained with until her death in 2009.
‘I know the Broccolis. They looked at a bunch of actors,’ he shared. ‘Schindler’s List had come out and Barbara [Broccoli] had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested, and I said, “Yes, I would be interested.”
‘And then my lovely wife [Natasha Richardson], God rest her soul, said to me while we were shooting Nell down in the Carolinas, “Liam, I want to tell you something: If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.”
‘She gave me a James Bond ultimatum, and she meant it! Come on, there’s all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed. I’m sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!’
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes eventually did land a role in the franchise (Picture: Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Ralph Fiennes took over from Judi Dench as MI6 boss M in 2012 film Skyfall but he almost played Bond himself.
The Voldemort actor, 61, revealed he had a meeting with Cubby Broccoli that was ‘terrific’ involving talks for the lead role after Timothy Dalton’s final bond film, 1989’s Licence to Kill.
‘There was an early conversation. There was a conversation that was great, and a meeting with Cubby Broccoli that was terrific,’ he told Sunday Telegraph’s Seven Magazine.
‘I think that’s all I can really say, except that it didn’t lead to anything on both sides.
‘I don’t think I felt ready to commit, and I think they were looking at Pierce. I think I would have been a terrible Bond anyway.’
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson didn’t want to be tied to the Bond franchise (Picture: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
The 1979 film Mad Max saw all eyes on the lead star Mel Gibson, who would go on to roles in Braveheart and The Passion of The Christ.
But he was also considered for James Bond back when Sir Roger Moore left the franchise following the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only.
Producer Albert R. Broccoli reportedly approached the actor, but Gibson, 68, eventually turned the offer down after seeing Connery ‘stuck’ in the job for many years.
‘I got offered the James Bond movies when I was like 26, which is like 40 years ago, okay?’ he told Jo Blo in 2022.
‘And they said, “Hey, we want you to be the next James Bond?” And I thought about it; I was in Australia, I was working with Peter Weir [on Gallipoli]. And I did think about it, and I sort of turned it down – for that reason.
‘I thought, look what happened to poor Sean, he got stuck there for like three decades.’
Richard Burton
Richard Burton was the first ever choice to play James Bond (Picture: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Fames for roles in Cleopatra, Where Eagles Dare, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Richard Burton almost added James Bond to his impressive filmography.
In 2012, unearthed documents revealed that creator Ian Fleming decided in 1957 that he wanted the late actor Burton to play the famous spy in a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
He wrote: ‘Both Dehn [screenwriter] and I think that Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond!’
He went on to ask crime novelist Eric Ambler if he thought Hitchcock would be interested in directing the film, writing: ‘Would Hitchcock be interested in directing first Bond film? Plentiful finance available. Think we might have a winner particularly if you were interested in scripting.’
The project never got off the ground, and Fleming eventually sold the rights to producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
Sean Bean
Bond might have literally dodged a bullet with Sean Bean missing out on the role (Picture: WireImage)
Sean Bean was once considered to play Bond – but maybe it was a lucky escape for the famous spy given how many times the actor has played characters who have died onscreen.
The Lord Of The Rings actor, 65, actually auditioned to play Bond twice, going up against both Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
He reportedly impressed producers both times, and his audition was so good that he did eventually land a role as a Bond villain.
He did go on to play Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, an agent gone rogue who faces off against Bond.
Originally the film’s antagonist was meant to be Augustus Trevelyan, a former mentor of Bond’s who had gone rogue, but it was eventually tweaked to become Alec meaning the role suited a younger actor.
And despite Bean only being six years younger than Brosnan, he was captivating in the role of Trevelyan, despite missing out on the Bond role not once, but twice.
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