Timothy Dalton Almost Played James Bond In GoldenEye Instead Of Pierce Brosnan

There's a whole alternate timeline for the James Bond movies. Throughout the franchise's more than 60-year run, there's been multiple times where we came very close to seeing things play out much differently to the way they actually did.

There was the time Alfred Hitchcock almost directed a Bond movie, and the moment prior to Daniel Craig's "Casino Royale" casting when the producers could just as easily have picked Henry Cavill instead. There's also been the lingering question of what would happen if Christopher Nolan directed a Bond movie. That's something the franchise's producers have clearly wondered themselves, with Nolan being rumored to take on a 007 flick numerous times over the last decade or so, even meeting with longtime Bond producers Barabra Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. As of this moment, however, Nolan's 007 film remains yet another "what if" in Bond history.

But there's one particular "what if" that's not quite as well known as Nolan circling the Bond franchise or Hitchcock almost getting his shot at directing 007. This one involves Timothy Dalton and his departure from the series after just two movies. The actor was replaced by Pierce Brosnan for 1995's "GoldenEye" having starred in 1987's "The Living Daylights" and 1989's "Licence to Kill." The circumstances surrounding his leaving remain unclear, but it seems that a Dalton-starring version of "GoldenEye" was at one point very close to becoming a reality ... or maybe not.

Among the James Bond movies, Timothy Dalton's two outings remain either overlooked gems or underwhelming entries, depending on your perspective. What's not in question, however, is that "Licence to Kill" proved to be somewhat of a turning point for the series. Having locked the Bond producers in a significant battle with British censors, the film debuted to lackluster box office numbers and a less than stellar critical response. Subsequently, writer Richard Maibaum, who'd been with the Bond franchise on and off since the very beginning, was out. As was director John Glen, who'd helmed the last six entries in the Bond canon.

But you know who wasn't out? Timothy Dalton. At least, not at first. Following "Licence to Kill," Eon Productions — the production company responsible for all the Bond movies — became locked in a legal dispute over the TV rights to the Bond movies. The specifics of the case are fairly convoluted and arcane. Needless to say, this legal issue kept Eon tied up for some time, unable to push ahead with a new Bond movie following the anticlimactic debut of "Licence to Kill."

But during that time, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who'd produced the 007 movies since the very start, seemed set on retaining Dalton as his James Bond. At least, that's how the actor remembers it.

Speaking to The Week, Dalton claimed Broccoli asked him what he wanted to do once the lawsuit was resolved, to which the actor replied "I don't think that I will continue." The "Licence to Kill" star also claimed that he was "free of the contract," and technically able to leave. But by the time the lawsuit was resolved and work was set to begin on the next movie, Dalton had seemingly changed his mind.

In 1993, Eon and its parent company Danjaq had come out on the other side of a tricky lawsuit and were ready to return to the business of making Bond movies. And according to Timothy Dalton, he was still Albert Broccoli's choice to star. As the actor went on to tell The Week:

"When [the next movie] did come about, it was probably four or five years later. [Broccoli] asked if I would come back, and I said, 'Well, I've actually changed my mind a little bit. I think that I'd love to do one.'"

But as we all know, it was Pierce Brosnan who actually starred in 1995's "GoldenEye." So what happened? Well this is where things get even more confusing. In Dalton's recollection, Broccoli and Eon Productions were keen to sign him for "four or five" future films in the franchise, and not just the single film he was expecting. As such, the actor decided not to return as Bond, leaving behind a legacy as perhaps the most underappreciated 007 actor. Eon then went on to cast Pierce Brosnan in the 17th 007 movie.

In April 1994, it was officially announced that Dalton had bowed out as Bond. In a statement, the fourth James Bond actor said:

"Even though the (producers) have always made it clear to me that they want me to resume my role in their next James Bond feature , I have now made this difficult decision [...] As an actor, I believe it is now time to leave that wonderful image behind and accept the challenge of new ones."

But that's not the full story...

Timothy Dalton officially left the Bond franchise in April 1994. "GoldenEye" was released in November 1995. Considering the effort and care Eon puts into casting James Bond (even today, all we know about the next Bond is that it won't be Taron Egerton), that's a pretty fast turnaround. All of which suggests the producers were eyeing other actors before Dalton left. Which, according to executive vice president of production at MGM/UA, Jeff Kleeman, is exactly what happened. MGM was, up until Amazon bought the company in 2021, the distributor of the Bond movies, and seemingly had different plans than Albert Broccoli for Bond 17.

In Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's book, "Nobody Does it Better," Kleeman said:

"For [studio president] John Calley and myself, Timothy Dalton was never in the picture. For the Broccolis, he was. The Broccolis are very loyal. They knew the Timothy Dalton movies were not the most successful Bond movies, but they loved Timothy, and they believed that there should be another shot with him."

A meeting was held to determine who would star in "GoldenEye," with Albert and Barbara Broccoli attending alongside fellow Bond producer and Albert's stepson Michael G. Wilson. According to Kleeman, this meeting "got pretty heated," and was only resolved when Albert Broccoli raised his walking stick and "lightly tapped it on the ground." Kleeman continued, "Everybody stopped and turned to Cubby. Cubby very simply said, 'Let's go with Pierce,' and that was that. The king of Bond had spoken."

No mention of Dalton not wanting to sign on for multiple films, then. In this version of events, it was actually Cubby Broccoli that made the call to cast Brosnan, who was evidently already being considered as a Dalton replacement.

In the time between "Licence to Kill" and "GoldenEye," there were actually several versions of Bond 17 planned. In "Nobody Does it Better," the authors recall how the film that eventually became "GoldenEye" was initially supposed to be set in Hong Kong and would have featured "animatronic creations from Walt Disney Imagineering." Planned sequences, including a Las Vegas monster truck chase and "a raid on a secret arms cache inside the Hoover Dam," would never make it to the big screen. Neither would the "gay assistant called Jennings, a formidable henchman named Rodin, and a [Bond] contemporary in the Hong Kong secret service, Denholm Crisp."

The script for this unmade 007 movie was penned by Michael G. Wilson, with rewrites provided by Alfonse Ruggiero Jr. But the screenplay would be reworked several times, meaning there were multiple versions of the 17th Bond movie prior to "GoldenEye."

What's clear is that, at least at the start of this process, Timothy Dalton was supposed to star in Bond 17. As noted in "Nobody Does it Better," Michael G. Wilson said at the time: "The only absolute tangible is that Timothy Dalton will be back as James Bond." Eon even put up a billboard for the Dalton-starring "Licence to Kill" sequel at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you feel about Pierce Brosnan's Bond), the TV rights lawsuit would put an end to these plans. The mid-90s would see a new 007 arrive and bring in $356 million worldwide — $200 million more than "Licence to Kill" and its $156 million take. In that respect, it seems like going with Brosnan was the best decision for the franchise. But I and many other Bond fans can't help but wish Dalton got another go at Bond.