Roger Moore’s son has made a revelation about the James Bond films, pointing out that Sean Connery was not the first choice for the role of the iconic spy.
According to Geoffrey Moore, who spoke to the Daily Mail, producers initially had Roger Moore in mind. He eventually became the third actor to play Agent 007, making his debut in the franchise’s eighth film, 1973’s “Live and Let Die.”
“They had him as their first choice, they had him in mind, but he couldn’t get out of his contract with the television company ITC,” Roger Moore’s son explained.
Sean Connery wasn't supposed to be James Bond, says Roger Moore's son https://t.co/QavNDUjinu
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) September 20, 2026
Geoffrey Moore went on to add: “The author of the Bond books, Ian Fleming, was a fan of The Saint and certainly had him in mind. He was also friends with Cubby and Harry (Bond film producers Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman). They played cards together, went out for meals and did various things.”
As he explained, the fact that his father did not take on the role in the earlier films ultimately proved to be the right choice: “That’s also why Bond is such a great franchise, because each actor reflects his era. And his era was when it was meant to be, in the early 1970s, when things were a little less chauvinistic. Connery is faithful to Fleming’s novels, but they wrote the character to suit Roger, because there was no point in trying to make him a tough guy like Sean. The times had changed, and Roger brought a detachment and a little more empathy to the character,” he explained.
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