It’s hard to imagine Hollywood telling Steven Spielberg that he wasn’t the right person for a blockbuster franchise. After all, this is the filmmaker behind some of cinema’s most beloved titles, a director whose name alone became a stamp of quality for generations of moviegoers. Yet long before he was taking audiences on adventures with Indiana Jones or introducing dinosaurs to the world through Jurassic Park, Spielberg had his eyes set on a different cinematic icon.
That dream involved James Bond.
As surprising as it sounds today, Spielberg spent years trying to join the 007 universe, only to be repeatedly turned away by legendary Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Decades later, the Oscar-winning director is finally opening up about those failed attempts — and the story behind how Bond’s rejection indirectly gave birth to one of the greatest adventure franchises in film history.
Spielberg’s Longstanding Dream of Directing 007
During an appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast while promoting his latest project, Disclosure Day, Spielberg reflected on his early fascination with the Bond films.
His admiration for the franchise stretched back to the very beginning.
“I approached Cubby after ‘Jaws’ was a big hit,” Spielberg said. “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. I said, ‘If you need a director, I would love to direct one.’ And he said no.”
At the time, Spielberg had already transformed himself into one of Hollywood’s hottest directing talents. Jaws, released in 1975, had become a cultural phenomenon and essentially invented the modern summer blockbuster. Many filmmakers would have assumed that kind of success opened every door in the industry.
Apparently, not the doors to MI6.
According to Spielberg, Broccoli didn’t elaborate on his decision. The rejection was direct, and that was that.
Even Success Couldn’t Change Cubby Broccoli’s Mind
Most people would have moved on after being turned down once. Spielberg, however, got another unexpected opportunity a few years later.
Following the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Broccoli reached out to him regarding a creative request connected to the Bond franchise.
The producers wanted permission to use the movie’s famous five-note musical motif in a sequence for the 1979 Bond film Moonraker.
Spielberg saw an opening.
“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,” Spielberg remembered.
“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 a fascinating piece of movie history. Even after delivering multiple landmark films, Spielberg remained an outsider when it came to one of cinema’s most tightly controlled franchises.
Perhaps Broccoli simply had a very specific vision for Bond filmmakers. Or maybe he worried Spielberg’s growing celebrity might overshadow the series itself. Whatever the reason, fans never got to see what a Spielberg-directed Bond adventure might have looked like.
Bond’s Rejection Led to Indiana Jones
Ironically, being denied access to 007 opened the door to another character who would become just as iconic.
Spielberg recalled sharing the Bond story with George Lucas in 1977 while the two filmmakers were vacationing together in Hawaii ahead of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope.
“When I told that story to George Lucas in 1977, when we were in Hawaii together getting ready for the release of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope,’ he said, ‘I have something better than Bond. It’s called Indiana Smith,’ which is what it was called at the time,” the director continued.
“He told me the premise of the Indiana Jones series, and that’s how I got that job.”
The rest, of course, is Hollywood history.
What began as Spielberg’s disappointment eventually led to Raiders of the Lost Ark and one of the most successful adventure franchises ever created. Indiana Jones offered many of the same thrills that Bond provided — globe-trotting escapades, charismatic heroes and pulse-pounding action — but with its own unmistakable identity.
The franchise went on to influence generations of filmmakers and cemented Spielberg’s reputation as one of cinema’s greatest storytellers.
Looking back now, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else directing Indiana Jones with the same sense of wonder and excitement.
And if Bond producers ever reconsidered?
Spielberg already has an answer ready.
“So if they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: ‘You can’t afford me.'”
Another Major Franchise Spielberg Walked Away From
James Bond wasn’t the only blockbuster universe Spielberg nearly joined.
In recent years, the filmmaker also revealed that he had the opportunity to direct the first Harry Potter film. Unlike Bond, however, this decision came down to personal priorities rather than professional rejection.
“There were several films I chose not to make,” Spielberg said in a 2023 interview. “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.”
It’s a reminder that even filmmakers with extraordinary careers still face impossible choices. Every “yes” often requires saying no to something equally significant.
For Spielberg, missing out on Bond eventually led him to Indiana Jones. Turning down Harry Potter gave him precious time with his children during their formative years.
As fans speculate about the movie history that could have been, Spielberg appears remarkably content with how things unfolded. After all, few directors can say they helped shape popular culture without ever needing a shaken martini in hand.
Meanwhile, Disclosure Day, Spielberg’s latest project, arrives in theatres on June 12, offering audiences another chapter in a career defined not by missed opportunities, but by the extraordinary paths those missed opportunities unexpectedly created.
