Pierce Brosnan’s 007 debut GoldenEye might be one of the actor's more fondly remembered James Bond outings, but originally the plan for the 1995 film was wildly different from the final version. To date, seven actors have taken on the iconic role of James Bond across the 25 films (including the upcoming, often-delayed No Time To Die) that the iconic Ian Fleming character has appeared in.
Each actor left his stamp on James Bond, from Roger Moore’s campy quip-happy comedic take to Sean Connery’s more stern, deadpan original, to Daniel Craig’s recent grounded, Bourne-influenced Bond. However, few James Bond actors have infused the character with the sly sense of humor that Pierce Brosnan brought to the role, even if it was for a short period of time. Brosnan's tenure in the part of James Bond ended with the critically maligned Die Another Day in 2002, but before that misjudged outing, he enjoyed a reasonably well-received string of Bond films. However, none of Brosnan’s Bond movies were more critically loved than his 1995 debut in the role, GoldenEye.
A fresh, funny take on the character that nonetheless maintained tension amid its self-aware humor, GoldenEye dug into the character’s seldom-seen backstory a little by pitting him against Sean Bean’s Trevelyan, a fellow 00 agent who went rogue. Lauded as fast-paced, witty, and thrilling, GoldenEye was well-received by critics upon release, but the original plan for Brosnan’s first James Bond movie was very different - right down to Brosnan not even playing Bond.
Timothy Dalton Almost Played GoldenEye’s Bond
It may seem hard to believe given the massive tonal shift between Timothy Dalton’s second and final Bond movie Licence To Kill and the goofier GoldenEye, but originally, Dalton was set to return to the part of Bond after a six-year absence from the role. First seen in 1987’s similarly dark, (relatively) realistic The Living Daylights, Dalton was willing to return to the role despite the long wait between movies but balked at the demand that he sign on for a further three to four films after. Not interested in spending years growing old playing James Bond as his predecessors, Dalton bowed out and in the process made room for Brosnan and, by proxy, a more light-hearted Moore-influenced ‘90s James Bond.
The Return of John Rhys-Davies’ General Pushkin
Another hold-over from Dalton’s days in the role, Indiana Jones actor John Rhys-Davies was included in the original draft of GoldenEye, but later was replaced by a new (very similar) Minister Mishkin. Unlike Dalton’s dark, brooding Bond, the gregarious John Rhys-Davies role would have fit well in the campier Brosnan's Bond movies, and it’s something of a shame that the character couldn’t reappear in GoldenEye as his presence was one of few fun elements in the edgier Dalton Bond outings. That said, the replacement of Mishkin didn’t cost the movie much in the way of action or plot, and it could be argued that a clean break from Dalton’s tenure in the role was, like M and Miss Moneypenny's recasting, necessary for Brosnan to shine in the part.
Alan Rickman’s Older GoldenEye Villain
While Sean Bean’s GoldenEye villain Alec Trevelyan may be iconic, both Hannibal Lecter actor Anthony Hopkins and Die Hard villain Alan Rickman were offered the part when Trevelyan was originally intended to be an older man and more of a mentor figure to Bond. At this stage, the character was more likely to be a former M rather than Bond’s professional equal, so his betrayal of MI6 would have been both more dramatic and more of a sign that this new ‘90s Bond couldn’t trust any of his old allies. Instead, Trevelyan was rewritten as Bond’s peer in a move that meant the series could recast regulars like M and Miss Moneypenny but retain the essence of their “eye-rolling, but loving” relationship to Bond. Interestingly, the idea of Bond going against MI6 high command still hasn’t been revisited by the series despite the Bourne franchise centering on a similar premise.
John Woo’s GoldenEye
Although honored by the offer, Hard Boiled director/action auteur John Woo turned down the chance to direct GoldenEye. The action sequences that were storyboarded for the director ended up being recycled through Brosnan’s tenure in the part, and it’s hard to argue that Woo’s love of balletic, over-the-top action wouldn’t have gelled perfectly with the more self-aware James Bond of the ‘90s. However, Woo was likely working on Broken Arrow or Face/Off (his next two films) at the time and, given how often critics accused both these efforts of being almost too absurd, perhaps it’s for the best that the director turned down the chance to take on Bond (a character who can sometimes slide into funny silliness even in his most realistic outings). Instead, journeyman Martin Campbell directed both GoldenEye and Daniel Craig’s later debut as Bond, 2006's more serious Casino Royale.
The Rolling Stones’ (and Ace of Base's) Bond Theme Song
Rock and roll legends the Rolling Stones turned down the chance to record GoldenEye's title song, while ‘90s pop legends Ace of Base recorded a version of "GoldenEye" but had their track shelved. It is perhaps unsurprising that Ace of Base’s take on the track wasn’t used, as the reinvention of the James Bond franchise would have been immediately dated by a band described as “deeply ‘90s” even during the ‘90s. However, losing out on a Rolling Stones Bond song was more unfortunate for the James Bond franchise, despite how undeniably catchy and memorable Tina Turner’s title track is.
A Subtler Xenia Onatopp
In the original draft of GoldenEye (one Brosnan himself said was more interesting), Xenia Onatopp was a cleverer, more subtle seductress rather than the zany lunatic of the finished film. Famke Janssen went on to build a successful blockbuster career off her memorable role as the steel-thighed assassin, and while it sounds sensible for a James Bond movie to feature a more realistic and well-rounded Bond girl, the faintly ridiculous figure of Xenia did fit the heightened campy tone of GoldenEye (and Brosnan’s Bond movies more broadly). Interestingly, this wouldn’t be the last time that one of Brosnan’s Bond girl love interests was rewritten to be less grounded and realistic, with The World Is Not Enough’s seductress originally ending that James Bond movie by being deprogrammed instead of the over-the-top demise she received in the finished film.
- No Time to Die/James Bond 25 (2021)Release date: Oct 08, 2021
