Michael Jackson wanted to be the next James Bond after Roger Moore - but got shut down hard
Popstar Michael Jackson once made a shocking push to become the next James Bond, it has been revealed.
The popular MI5 agent skyrocketed to fame after the 1962 film, Dr No, which was also Sean Connery’s first outing as James Bond. Based on the novels by Ian Fleming, the movies quickly became fan favourites across the world.
After Connery did six films - with one from George Lazenby in between - Roger Moore took the mantle of 007. But during his tenure, it appears Michael Jackson actually fancied having a go at the role himself.
Thankfully, for both Bond and MJ fans alike, this move never materialised. In fact, the opposite turned out to be true, with Jackson being quite comprehensively refused by executives.
In his memoirs, Jackson’s former agent Michael Ovitz wrote that the singer said: “I want to play James Bond.” The agent replied: “You’re thinly built. You’re too sensitive. You’d be great at it, of course, but it’d be bad for you.”
This exchange reportedly took place in 1978, in the midst of Moore’s reign. The following year, Moonraker was released to critical acclaim, and to date, 25 official James Bond movies have hit our screens.