During a recent promotional tour for his new film, "Disclosure Day," Steven Spielberg appeared on "The Rest Is Entertainment" podcast, where he recounted his repeated, unsuccessful attempts to direct a James Bond film, only to be consistently turned down by the franchise's producers.
Spielberg revealed that he first reached out to then-007 producer Cubby Broccoli shortly after "Jaws" became a massive box office hit, expressing his desire to join the Bond cinematic universe.
"After 'Jaws' was a big success, I went to Cubby," Spielberg explained. "I had wanted to make a James Bond film ever since I saw 'Dr. No,' so after 'Jaws,' I called Cubby and volunteered."
Spielberg told Broccoli, "If you need a director, I'd love to direct one," but Broccoli promptly rejected his offer.
Years later, following the release of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," Broccoli contacted Spielberg again, hoping to use the film's iconic five-note melody in "Moonraker." Spielberg recalled jokingly proposing a trade-off at the time: "If you let me direct a Bond film, I'll let you use those five notes." Broccoli still refused, though Spielberg ultimately allowed "Moonraker" to use the memorable tune.
"So they kept turning me down, at least Broccoli did," Spielberg said. "He never explained why he wouldn't let me into the Bond family."
Interestingly, this series of rejections indirectly led to the creation of another legendary adventure franchise. Spielberg shared that when he mentioned the situation to George Lucas in Hawaii in 1977, Lucas responded, "I have something better than Bond, it's called Indiana Smith." That concept eventually evolved into "Indiana Jones."
When asked if the "James Bond" franchise were to approach him now, Spielberg humorously quipped, "You can't afford me."
Beyond "007," Spielberg also famously passed on "Harry Potter". He previously disclosed in interviews that he declined to direct the first "Harry Potter" film, choosing instead to prioritize spending time with his family and young children. Looking back, he still considers it the right decision.