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You would think that after directing Jaws — the movie that literally caused the invention of the term “blockbuster” — that Steven Spielberg would have been able to get any job he wanted. And you would have thought wrong.
During a recent appearance on the Smartless podcast, Spielberg told hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes that despite desperately wanting to direct a James Bond movie, the franchise’s producers refused to hire him, even after he proved him with Jaws.
“George Lucas asked me what I wanted to do next [after Jaws], and I said I wanted to do a James Bond film but [franchise producer Albert] Cubby Broccoli won’t hire me. I’ve asked him twice. Even after Jaws, he wouldn’t hire me,” Spielberg told the Smartless trio.
After Jaws, Spielberg would go on a directorial run that would not only turn him into a directorial superstar but would help define American cinema for decades to come, so he wound up just fine without having the opportunity to helm a Bond film.
Following the release of Jaws in theaters in 1975, Spielberg would spend the next ten years directing films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).
Spielberg’s legendary run of hits didn’t stop there, though, as the following 15 years would see him venture into more serious fare such as The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, Amistad, and Saving Private Ryan. Still, Spielberg maintained his blockbuster roots throughout that entire time, as he also directed films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hook, and Jurassic Park.
All told, Spielberg has established himself as one of the greatest directors in the history of the medium of cinema. Maybe those Bond producers should pick up the phone and apologize.
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