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Cary Grant and Sean Connery (right) together in 1960.

 The year was 1962. The world stood on the brink of the swinging sixties, and Hollywood was hunting for the perfect actor to bring Ian Fleming’s suave super-spy to life. The first choice? None other than Cary Grant, the man who had already perfected the art of charm, danger, and effortless cool in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

But here’s the twist: James Bond as we know him almost didn’t happen.

The Offer: A Legend for a Legend

Grant was the dream candidate. At 58, he was still Hollywood’s golden boy, sophisticated, witty, and capable of making even a high-stakes chase look like a stroll through Monte Carlo. Bond producer Albert Broccoli, a close friend of Grant’s, was determined to lock him in. There was just one problem: Grant refused to sign for more than one film.

In an era before franchises dominated Hollywood, Grant was wary of long-term contracts. He’d spent decades carefully curating his career, and the idea of committing to five (or more) Bond films felt like a trap. Broccoli, however, knew that Bond needed longevity, a face audiences would follow for years. Negotiations stalled, and the role slipped away.

The Almost-Bonds: A Cast That Could Have Been

With Grant out, the hunt began anew. Names like David Niven (who would later play a parody Bond in Casino Royale), Patrick McGoohan (who turned it down for moral reasons), and even Roger Moore (too young at the time) were floated. But none fit the vision.

Then came Sean Connery, a 31-year-old Scottish former bodybuilder with a rough edge and a voice like gravel wrapped in velvet. He wasn’t the polished gentleman Grant was, but that was the point. Bond wasn’t just a spy; he was a fighter, a lover, a killer in a tuxedo.

The Birth of an Icon

When Dr. No premiered in 1962, the world met a new kind of hero. Connery’s Bond was magnetic, brutal when he needed to be, effortlessly cool the rest of the time. The franchise exploded, and the rest, as they say, is history.

But what if Grant had said yes? Would Bond have become the long-running phenomenon he is today? Or would 007 have been a one-and-done role, fading into Hollywood lore?

One thing’s for sure: Cary Grant’s Bond would have been legendary. But Sean Connery’s? That was iconic.

Sometimes, the best casting choices aren’t the first ones, they’re the ones that change everything. And in this case, the world got something even better than Cary Grant as Bond.