In 1959, three years before [Sean] Connery made his debut in Dr. No, 007 creator Ian Fleming decided he wanted Burton to play the part--in a movie to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock.In the past, there have been reports that Fleming’s initial choice to play his suave spy on the screen was either Cary Grant, James Mason, or Roger Moore, the last of whom, of course, eventually got the job.
If the project had gone ahead, it would have had dramatic repercussions for cinematic history.
Burton would almost certainly have missed his role as Marc Antony in Cleopatra, during which he fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor; Hitchcock may never have directed Psycho; and Connery would have lost his opportunity for international stardom and the knighthood that came his way in 2000.
(Hat tip to Bill Crider.)
2 comments:
Still, I think Burton would have made a great James Bond. And the thing with Elizabeth didn't work out, anyway. :)
Not only that (Burton & Taylor not hooking up), but I'm sure Connery would've gone on to fame and stardom anyway. He is an excellent actor without needing the Bond fame to propell him to knighthood. Or .... he could have called it quits and pursued his first love of Soccer. Turns out he was already being heavily recruited to play pro soccer before his stage and screen career. Alternatively, had his bodybuilding career taken off, he might have been another Arnold. He might have been famous for those skills rather than his acting skills.
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