Steven Spielberg has revealed the brutal five-word response he has prepared if he is ever asked to direct a movie. James Bond movie.
The legendary Oscar-winning filmmaker confessed that after being repeatedly rejected by the producers of the 007 franchise early in his career, his definitive response to an offer today would simply be: “You can’t pay me.”
The director shared the candid admission during an appearance on The rest is entertainment podcast while promoting his latest sci-fi thriller, Disclosure Daywhich opens in theaters on June 12.
Spielberg explained that he had actually tried to land his desired job on multiple occasions in the past, starting right after changing Hollywood forever with his 1975 blockbuster The Killer Shark.
I’ve been a big fan of Britain’s favorite secret agent ever since I saw it. doctor noSpielberg personally called iconic Bond producer Cubby Broccoli after Jaws He became a global sensation by volunteering his services, only to be roundly rejected.
A few years later, Broccoli began contacts with Spielberg after the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kindbut it was not to offer him a job.
Instead, the producer asked permission to use the sci-fi film’s iconic five-note musical tune for a scene in the 1979 Bond film. Lunaraker.
Seeing a golden opportunity, Spielberg attempted to negotiate, offering the rights to the musical notes on the strict condition that he would eventually be allowed to direct a 007 film.
Broccoli rejected the deal, although the director generously allowed them to use the tune anyway.
Spielberg noted that Broccoli constantly rejected him without ever offering an explanation for why he was being kept out of the Bond family.
Fortunately, repeated rejections paved the way for one of cinema’s most beloved adventures.
When a frustrated Spielberg told George Lucas about his rejections of Bond while on vacation in Hawaii in 1977 while waiting for the release of Star Wars: a new hopeLucas told him that he had a concept that was even better than Bond’s.
Then called Indiana SmithLuke presented the premise of what would become the Indiana Jones series, handing Spielberg the job on the spot.
James Bond It is not the only cinematic giant that the director has crossed paths with over the decades.
Spielberg also revealed that he was initially in the frame to direct the first harry potter movie. However, he ultimately decided to leave the magical franchise to ensure he could spend a year and a half at home watching his young children grow up.
Reflecting on that choice in a 2023 interview, the filmmaker stated that he was incredibly happy to have sacrificed such a massive franchise for the sake of his family.
