James Bond: Timothy Dalton reveals the REAL reason he turned down Goldeneye

James Bond: Timothy Dalton reveals the REAL reason he turned down GoldeneyeJAMES BOND star Timothy Dalton has revealed why he turned down Goldeneye, the film that became Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 outing.With just two 007 movies (1987’s The Living Daylights and 1989’s License To Kill), released as the Cold War was ending, Dalton is probably the franchise’s most underrated James Bond.The actor had grit and depth of character long before Daniel Craig came on the scene with 2006’s Casino Royale.And it turns out that not only was his third movie cancelled, but he was offered 1995’s Goldeneye, only to decline it.Now in a throwback interview the 72-year-old revealed the real reason he turned the film down.Following a legal dispute between Eon Productions and MGM that stalled a 1990 third outing, Bond producer Cubby Broccoli asked Dalton to return as 007 in Goldeneye.Speaking with The Week, Dalton explained: “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.“‘Try and take the best of the two that I have done, and consolidate them into a third.’”Dalton continued: “And he said, quite rightly, ‘Look, Tim. You can’t do one. There’s no way, after a five-year gap between movies that you can come back and just do one. You’d have to plan on four or five.’“And I thought, ‘Oh, no, that would be the rest of my life. Too much. Too long.’ So I respectfully declined.”The result? Brosnan was cast in a film that is now considered one of the franchise’s very best.Interestingly the Goldeneye star almost beat Dalton to Bond following a screen test for The Living Daylights.Brosnan was offered to replace Roer Moore as the new 007, but he had to turn it down because of his contract starring in TV series Remington Steele.So it seems Dalton only become James Bond because Brosnan had to turn down the role, only for Dalton to make