The director of new James Bond movie CasinoRoyale has revealed that Scottish actor, Ewan McGregor, was the first choice of producers to replace Pierce Brosnan, as the suave British double agent.
Martin Campbell admitted the Star Wars actor was their first choice, but the role eventually went to Daniel Craig, after McGregor turned down the
offer because he feared he would be typecast and was concerned about committing to another series of films following his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"I think he got another job or decided he didn't want it," the Mirror quoted Campbell as saying.
Campbell, who also directed GoldenEye and the Zorro movies, claims McGregor was approached early in the long search to replace Brosnan.
He also said he "wasn't totally convinced" Craig, 38, would match up to previous Bonds.
Blond-haired Craig has had to dodge as many bullets from internet critics since becoming the sixth official James Bond. This latest blow comes after he was savaged by critics as too "soft".
Craig is said to be terrified of heights and has to wear a lifejacket while in water. There were claims he had to drive an automatic Aston Martin because he could not cope with the gears.
{{/usCountry}}Craig is said to be terrified of heights and has to wear a lifejacket while in water. There were claims he had to drive an automatic Aston Martin because he could not cope with the gears.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Craig says he suffered a series of injuries during filming.
"I hurt myself every day when we were doing the action sequences but I had four stunt doubles - they were dealing with injuries all the time. I kept quiet because mine were nothing compared to theirs," he said earlier.
McGregor said in an interview last year that playing Bond might have been fun, but admitted he would have been worried about the extent of the commitment.
"With Bond, it's a long shoot and there's a massive amount of publicity," he said.
Casino Royale is released here on November 17.