A few heads were turned last year when it was announced that James Bond had managed to attract one of the biggest names in blockbuster filmmaking to helm the next instalment of the iconic spy franchise, in Dune and Arrival filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.
Well, it turns out that once upon a time the series might have been able to call upon an even bigger name to take on a 007 outing: none other than the great Steven Spielberg.
The acclaimed director, whose latest movie Disclosure Day is now showing in UK cinemas, has shared that he repeatedly attempted to direct a James Bond film throughout the 1970s. He even personally asked producer Cubby Broccoli for the job shortly after the success of Jaws in 1975.
“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,” he explained during an appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast.
“I said, ‘If you need a director, I would love to direct one.’ And he said no.”
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A few years later, Broccoli and Spielberg were back in dialogue – this time because the former hoped to use the famous five-note musical sequence from Close Encounters of the Third Kind in Moonraker. And Spielberg responded with a counter offer.
“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,” he recalled.
“So they consistently turned me down – at least, Broccoli did. He never explained why he wasn’t letting me into the Bond family.”
It’s enjoyable to think about how Steven Spielberg might have approached a James Bond movie, but it seems that opportunity has passed – and Spielberg himself has confirmed it.
I remember back in 1977, while we were in Hawaii preparing for the launch of Star Wars: A New Hope, I was telling George Lucas a story. He listened, then said he had something even cooler than James Bond in the works – a character he was then calling Indiana Smith. That’s the name he used back then, before it became Indiana Jones, of course!
“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!'”
Bond isn’t the only famous British character Spielberg might have directed. He also mentioned being offered the chance to direct the first Harry Potter movie, but he declined. Chris Columbus, known for directing ‘Home Alone’, ended up taking on that role.
Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, revisits his fascination with aliens – a theme he’s explored in movies like Close Encounters, E.T., and War of the Worlds – and critics have generally liked it, including giving it a three-star rating from our team.
Disclosure Day is now showing in UK cinemas.
Authors
Patrick Cremona writes about movies for TopMob, covering both theatrical releases and streaming titles. He’s been with the site since October 2019, and during that time has interviewed many famous actors and reviewed a wide variety of films.
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2026-06-11 13:12