Steven Spielberg Reveals He Always Wanted a Chance to Work On 'James Bond': 'I Have Regrets They Didn't Approach Me'

Steven Spielberg has accomplished many different feats within the larger film industry, but one achievement that continues to allude him is a chance to direct a James Bond film.

A lifelong dream that Spielberg has had since the first time he saw Dr. No as a child, the Raiders of the Lost Ark director has continuously approached James Bond's producers in the hopes of finally landing a role behind the camera for the long-running action franchise.

Sadly, as Spielberg relayed in a recent appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment, every time he approached the producers, his offer was promptly shut down.

"I have regrets [that] they didn't approach me to do a Bond film," Spielberg said during his recent podcast interview.

"I approached [producer Albert Romolo Broccoli] after Jaws was a big hit," the 79-year-old Close Encounters director continued. "I'd always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw Dr. No. So I called [Broccoli] after Jaws and volunteered. I said, ‘If you need a director, I would love to direct one.' And he said, ‘No,' and he moved on."

After the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg once again spoke with Broccoli when the latter asked the director whether he might be able to use the famous five-note musical cue from the movie.

"I said, ‘I'll make you a deal. I'll give you permission to use the five notes if you let me direct a Bond film,'" Spielberg said. "And he said, ‘No.' But I gave him the five notes anyway. So they consistently turned me down. He never explained why he wasn't letting me into the Bond family."

Having worked on the Indiana Jones franchise instead of the Bond series, Spielberg revealed that he now has a simple response planned should the producers ever approach him with the long-awaited offer to direct James Bond.

"If they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: ‘You can't afford me,'" he humorously explained.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 10:13 AM.