‘You can’t afford me now’: Steven Spielberg’s cheeky response after he was rejected for Bond films
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Steven Spielberg has shared a personal story about how he wanted to direct a James Bond film but always faced rejection from the franchise producer Cubby Broccoli.
The legendary filmmaker, whose much-anticipated movie ‘Disclosure Day’ is releasing on June 12, made the revelation while appearing on ‘The Rest is Entertainment’ podcast.
Spielberg says he 'volunteered' for James Bond film
He said, “I approached Cubby 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. If you need a director, I would love to direct one.’ And he said no.”
Spielberg further disclosed that a few years later after the release of his movie, ‘Close Encounters of a Third Kind’, he was approached by Broccoli as he wanted to use the five-note musical melody from the 1977 hit in his 1979’s ‘Moonraker’.
Spielberg claims he's not sure why his efforts were turned down
The ‘Jurassic Park’ director then again tried to get the opportunity of directing a Bond film as he stated, “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.”
“So they consistently turned me down – at least, Broccoli did. He never explained why he wasn’t letting me into the Bond family,” he claimed.
Steven Spielberg says James Bond franchise can't 'afford' him now
The 79-year-old mentioned how his career took a great turn after he told his rejection story to George Lucas in 1977 “when we were in Hawaii together getting ready for the release of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope.'"
He revealed that Lucas told him he had “‘something better than Bond. It’s called Indiana Smith,’ which is what it was called at the time. He told me the premise of the 'Indiana Jones' series, and that’s how I got that job. So if they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: ‘You can’t afford me.’”
Steven Spielberg was offered Harry Potter film but chose family over it
Apart from the James Bond film, Spielberg could not make a Harry Potter movie because of his responsibility towards his family.
In a 2023 interview, he said, “There were several films I chose not to make. I chose to turn down the first ‘Harry Potter’ to basically spend that next year and a half with my family, my young kids growing up.”
“So I’d sacrificed a great franchise, which today looking back I’m very happy to have done, to be with my family,” Spielberg added.
