James Bond has been played by only a select few actors, but many more came remarkably close to landing the iconic role. Over the years, some of Hollywood’s biggest names were seriously considered to play 007. From last-minute casting changes to roles that slipped away, these near-misses offer a fascinating look at how different the Bond franchise could have been. Here’s a closer look at the actors who almost became the world’s most famous secret agent.<\/p>\n
Henry Cavill<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/7da62e426b3d8f8ee75eed5c6c625879e24d0c0973bba80e808e2731eef25e67\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F0ff23435b49c2b6a335d9245c6b3321d\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Lumeimages \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nOnce tipped as a frontrunner for the role of James Bond, Henry Cavill<\/strong><\/a> came remarkably close to landing the part. He was the second choice to play 007 in Casino Royale and, according to director Martin Campbell<\/strong>, would have landed the role, later admitting to Express UK<\/a> that he felt that Cavill looked “too young” and that “if Daniel [Craig] didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond.”<\/p>\nHugh Jackman<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/d0872fcd39d127ea6b1d1f193144cd350e5c1ff194924b65fd3b5e57f1e91c5e\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F1f8c2dae437a746322b0828112acfa64\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Steven Bergman \/ AFF-USA.COM \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nHugh Jackman<\/strong><\/a> had the opportunity to become James Bond in Casino Royale but passed on the role due to his commitments to the X-Men franchise, where he was already playing Wolverine, according to\u00a0NME<\/a>.<\/p>\nDominic West<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/36350e79be84911c7761c4f8425dad6eafefcca895e8b65599df89890d828c12\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F0ce6ff41bc4821b278311b9fc68ae442\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Fred Duval\/MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nDominic West<\/strong><\/a> was reportedly considered as a possible successor to play Bond. West actually auditioned for the part and afterward stated to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, “My audition went well, but I’ve since heard rumors that Pierce Brosnan<\/strong><\/a> got it. It’s old hat now, anyway, and besides, I’m enjoying working in the theatre,” per MI6-HQ<\/a>.<\/p>\nLiam Neeson<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/d574028aa243d6522fb34aa2e94b64dae310dd2a60f16248d88dd7b670236cee\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F4e2a1658cc255bc6b353764d454b7b15\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Lumeimages \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nLiam Neeson<\/strong><\/a> revealed that he was offered the chance to play James Bond after the success of Schindler’s List, but chose to turn it down. He later said his then-girlfriend, Natasha Richardson<\/strong><\/a>, told him she would not marry him if he accepted the role, prompting him to pass on the opportunity. The part ultimately went to Brosnan, as reported by Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\nSam Heughan<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/a004b0c599f3c0c2aeb43fd32df980af245e47d4d3c381939e8b0be5845060bd\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2Fa0b0a8fef66285fc4f1e711da549daf0\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Xavier Collin \/ Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nSam Heughan<\/strong><\/a> <\/a>also auditioned for the role in Casino Royale. He later revealed that producers told him he “wasn’t edgy enough” for the part, according to Entertainment Weekly<\/a>. Although he missed out on 007, Heughan went on to become an international star as Jamie Fraser in Outlander.<\/p>\nSam Neill<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/2f81ca74908470035e5fdc189599ef9502410ce2ce2b5ee46586d29afa945e38\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F18975eabe6ee38c5fe093196f5987816\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Triangular Pics \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nAfter Roger Moore<\/strong><\/a> stepped down following 1985’s A View to a Kill, auditions began in earnest for the next Bond, and Sam Neill<\/strong><\/a> emerged as one of the leading contenders. According to Den of Geek<\/a>, Neill was favored to star in The Living Daylights\u00a0but had little interest in the role, later admitting, ” I wouldn’t have taken the role if they’d asked me to do it.”<\/p>\nJames Brolin<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/fe9f60f097b98372b09816e5db44d821941f47942e0d3cc231642dd6a4ed553b\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F84e7f0ca91cba723e8e8333315b5fc51\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n FS2 \/ WENN \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nJames Brolin<\/strong><\/a> came close to becoming James Bond after completing extensive screen tests for Octopussy. According to MI6-HQ<\/a>, he was set to take over as 007 until Moore decided to return for his sixth Bond film. Footage from Brolin’s audition can still be seen in the Octopussy DVD and Blu-ray special features.<\/p>\nMatthew Rhys<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/2bab30b6f6697bff7f9fd607060e471d49e6206f20faafa0f02869182e2b1428\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2F8414ed0230537f551a9acc7bda37ce8d\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n Xavier Collin \/ Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nMatthew Rhys<\/strong><\/a> was among the actors who auditioned for Casino Royale. He later admitted the audition didn’t go as planned after joking that he would give Bond “a limp” and an “eye patch” when producers asked how he would make the character his own, according to The Independent<\/a>. The role ultimately went to Daniel Craig<\/strong><\/a>, while Rhys went on to star in acclaimed series including The Americans, where he met his longtime girlfriend, Keri Russell<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nAdam West<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"<span](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/6a4115b86af77718e534722e6535ec84ee8ff6fb4b8ddfc738f6521a5deeb098\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_766%2Ff970f6d232ee2591b925ad84a2481e5e\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n FS2 \/ WENN \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\nAdam West<\/strong><\/a> famous for his role as Batman, was considered to play Bond in Diamonds Are Forever after producer Albert R. Broccoli<\/strong> approached him about the role. West later recalled to Digital Spy<\/a> that he turned down the offer because he believed 007 should be played by a British actor, saying, “I thought it should be an Englishman.”<\/p>\nThis story 9 Actors Who Were Nearly Cast as James Bond<\/a> first appeared on InTouch Weekly<\/a>. Follow InTouch Weekly<\/strong><\/a> on <\/a>Yahoo<\/strong><\/a> so you don’t miss what’s coming next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Bond has been played by only a select few actors, but many more came remarkably close to landing the iconic role. Over the years, some of Hollywood’s biggest names were seriously considered to play 007. From last-minute casting changes to roles that slipped away, these near-misses offer a fascinating look at how different the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2502640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[359161,350377,484926,29468,35108,315031,340912,362380,483209],"class_list":["post-2502639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-casino-royale","tag-dominic-west","tag-fred-duval","tag-henry-cavill","tag-hugh-jackman","tag-james-bond","tag-james-brolin","tag-mega","tag-xavier-collin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9-Actors-Who-Were-Nearly-Cast-as-James-Bond.com2Fen2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_7662F0ff23435b49c2b6a335d9245c6b3321d.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502639"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2502641,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639\/revisions\/2502641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2502640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Lumeimages \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Once tipped as a frontrunner for the role of James Bond, Henry Cavill<\/strong><\/a> came remarkably close to landing the part. He was the second choice to play 007 in Casino Royale and, according to director Martin Campbell<\/strong>, would have landed the role, later admitting to Express UK<\/a> that he felt that Cavill looked “too young” and that “if Daniel [Craig] didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond.”<\/p>\n Steven Bergman \/ AFF-USA.COM \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Hugh Jackman<\/strong><\/a> had the opportunity to become James Bond in Casino Royale but passed on the role due to his commitments to the X-Men franchise, where he was already playing Wolverine, according to\u00a0NME<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fred Duval\/MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Dominic West<\/strong><\/a> was reportedly considered as a possible successor to play Bond. West actually auditioned for the part and afterward stated to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, “My audition went well, but I’ve since heard rumors that Pierce Brosnan<\/strong><\/a> got it. It’s old hat now, anyway, and besides, I’m enjoying working in the theatre,” per MI6-HQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lumeimages \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Liam Neeson<\/strong><\/a> revealed that he was offered the chance to play James Bond after the success of Schindler’s List, but chose to turn it down. He later said his then-girlfriend, Natasha Richardson<\/strong><\/a>, told him she would not marry him if he accepted the role, prompting him to pass on the opportunity. The part ultimately went to Brosnan, as reported by Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n Xavier Collin \/ Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Sam Heughan<\/strong><\/a> <\/a>also auditioned for the role in Casino Royale. He later revealed that producers told him he “wasn’t edgy enough” for the part, according to Entertainment Weekly<\/a>. Although he missed out on 007, Heughan went on to become an international star as Jamie Fraser in Outlander.<\/p>\n Triangular Pics \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n After Roger Moore<\/strong><\/a> stepped down following 1985’s A View to a Kill, auditions began in earnest for the next Bond, and Sam Neill<\/strong><\/a> emerged as one of the leading contenders. According to Den of Geek<\/a>, Neill was favored to star in The Living Daylights\u00a0but had little interest in the role, later admitting, ” I wouldn’t have taken the role if they’d asked me to do it.”<\/p>\n FS2 \/ WENN \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n James Brolin<\/strong><\/a> came close to becoming James Bond after completing extensive screen tests for Octopussy. According to MI6-HQ<\/a>, he was set to take over as 007 until Moore decided to return for his sixth Bond film. Footage from Brolin’s audition can still be seen in the Octopussy DVD and Blu-ray special features.<\/p>\n Xavier Collin \/ Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Matthew Rhys<\/strong><\/a> was among the actors who auditioned for Casino Royale. He later admitted the audition didn’t go as planned after joking that he would give Bond “a limp” and an “eye patch” when producers asked how he would make the character his own, according to The Independent<\/a>. The role ultimately went to Daniel Craig<\/strong><\/a>, while Rhys went on to star in acclaimed series including The Americans, where he met his longtime girlfriend, Keri Russell<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n FS2 \/ WENN \/ MEGA<\/span><\/p>\n Adam West<\/strong><\/a> famous for his role as Batman, was considered to play Bond in Diamonds Are Forever after producer Albert R. Broccoli<\/strong> approached him about the role. West later recalled to Digital Spy<\/a> that he turned down the offer because he believed 007 should be played by a British actor, saying, “I thought it should be an Englishman.”<\/p>\n This story 9 Actors Who Were Nearly Cast as James Bond<\/a> first appeared on InTouch Weekly<\/a>. Follow InTouch Weekly<\/strong><\/a> on <\/a>Yahoo<\/strong><\/a> so you don’t miss what’s coming next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" James Bond has been played by only a select few actors, but many more came remarkably close to landing the iconic role. Over the years, some of Hollywood’s biggest names were seriously considered to play 007. From last-minute casting changes to roles that slipped away, these near-misses offer a fascinating look at how different the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2502640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[359161,350377,484926,29468,35108,315031,340912,362380,483209],"class_list":["post-2502639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-casino-royale","tag-dominic-west","tag-fred-duval","tag-henry-cavill","tag-hugh-jackman","tag-james-bond","tag-james-brolin","tag-mega","tag-xavier-collin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9-Actors-Who-Were-Nearly-Cast-as-James-Bond.com2Fen2Fin_touch_weekly_articles_7662F0ff23435b49c2b6a335d9245c6b3321d.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502639"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2502641,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502639\/revisions\/2502641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2502640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Hugh Jackman<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Dominic West<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Liam Neeson<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Sam Heughan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Sam Neill<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
James Brolin<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Matthew Rhys<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Adam West<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n