Bond Rejected Twice: How Spielberg’s Near-Miss Fueled Indiana Jones

Steven Spielberg revealed on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast that James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli twice turned him down for directing a Bond film—first after Jaws and again after a Moonraker negotiation. He even offered to let Broccoli use the Moonraker five-note theme in exchange for directing a Bond film, but was refused. The refusals reportedly nudged him toward Raiders of the Lost Ark, and he quips that if Bond ever asks again, ‘you can’t afford me.’