“He’s very good”: The one director Sean Connery said everyone was “envious” of
There’s often as much speculation about who should direct James Bond, as to who should star in the lead role.
It’s often one of the great conversational points amongst passionate cinema watchers, who obsess over how the stylistic direction of an upcoming Bond film could change. Sam Mendes’ recent turns have ultimately cemented a new legacy for the brand, pitting a more emotionally complex Daniel Craig as the leading man in a heavier cinematic backdrop.
Nevertheless, there are modern names that fans across the world would still like to see take the helm. Whether it’s Christopher Nolan, whose mindbending Tenet was supposed to serve as an audition or maybe Danny Boyle, who came ever so close to injecting his British grit to the cinema series, there’s always a name that crops up among fans.
But the conversation is less led by an actual Bond. Rarely have any of the actors involved in the series made their preferences clear or boldly claimed an ambition to work with one particular director. But perhaps the most famous actor to don the tuxedo of 007 made a claim that got the cinema world wondering what may have happened had their eras of filmmaking crossed paths.
When Sean Connery was making the world of British espionage globally famous through his cinematic performances, a director who would later become one of the most prestigious in the world hadn’t yet announced his name to the world. In fact, Steven Spielberg was just 16 years old when Dr No was released, and so it’s likely that Connery’s performances helped inspire him and give him a grip on what it meant to make a big movie for the big screen.
It was just 13 years later, when Spielberg changed the course of Hollywood cinema with his iconic film Jaws, and a following 14 years after that, he worked with Connery on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was on that project where Connery was confronted with Spielberg’s genius, and gave the sort of adulation that would have sent many Bond conspirators into a frenzy.
“There are quite a few people who are envious of Steven Spielberg’s success. I’m a great admirer of Steven Spielberg. I think Spielberg is terrific” he explained.
Connery continued, “There’s some kind of envy or something (from others). He’s very young. He’s going to make many more movies. Why shouldn’t he be successful?” adding, “He’s very good visually, a good storyteller. Technically, you’ve got to give him some more time. I think he’s still got a way to go. But I think he’s tremendous.”
Spielberg’s success, combined with his stamp of approval from a legend of the big screen, has failed to put him in the hot seat for any Bond movie. But, that’s not for a want of trying. Twice in the 1970s, the famed American director was rejected, after his success for Jaws and Close Encounters. He’s since joked that the ship has outrightly sailed, and even if the franchise wanted him, they couldn’t afford him anyway. Which until recent years and the Amazon takeover, was probably true.
