Steven Spielberg has been a lifelong James Bond fan, but he never got to direct one.
In the 1970s, especially after the massive success of Jaws, Spielberg approached Eon Productions producer Albert Broccoli multiple times, offering to direct a 007 movie.
But Broccoli politely declined, reportedly telling Spielberg he didn’t have enough experience at the time or wasn’t the right fit.
Spielberg complained to his friend George Lucas, who then pitched him the idea that became Raiders of the Lost Ark as a kind of American-style Bond adventure.