Thursday, May 21, 2026

Steven Spielberg Turned Down TWICE as Director of James Bond Films: “They Wouldn’t Let Me in the Front Door”

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Steven Spielberg was turned down twice by Albert “Cubby” Broccoli as a director for the James Bond series. The first was right after “Jaws,” and the second time was after “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”  Basically, Spielberg recounts in the video below, Broccoli told him he wasn’t good enough. “No matter how successful I was, he wouldn’t let me in the front door,” Spielberg tells famed Indian interview Amitabh Bachchan,

Spielberg is in India promoting “Lincoln.” He sat for an interview with Amitabh Bachchan in which he discussed future plans including a movie to be shot on the Pakistan border, plus news about the next “Tintin” movie. He also talks about the making of his first film, “Duel.” Spielberg still has to make “Robopocalypse” when the script is ready. A fascinating interview with one of our best directors. It’s a funny coincidence that Spielberg lost Best Director this year to Ang Lee, who directed the Indian “Life of Pi.” And now he’s the talk of India. Small world!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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