Matthew Vaughn has a thing for spy films, and which spy does it better than the infamous 007? The director, who went on to build his own spy franchise with Kingsman, is now gearing up for another spy thriller starring Henry Cavill. Vaughn recently revealed himself to be a huge fan of the James Bond franchise. So much so, that when he was offered to direct a James Bond movie, he said yes without giving it a second thought.
Vaughn was once offered a chance to direct the 2006 movie, Casino Royale. And he said yes to it immediately. But unfortunately, things took a turn, and the offer was retracted. He was even the person who suggested Daniel Craig to MGM, and though the actor got his go with the franchise, Vaughn, sadly, had to walk out of a lunch meeting with empty hands.
One-Day Director of James Bond
Back in the early 2000s, after Pierce Brosnan was abruptly let go from the James Bond franchise, there was a lookout for who could take on the mantle next. But it is not only the actor who makes the films good; a director with a vision is also an equally important part of it. This is why, probably, given Matthew Vaughn was already a fan of the franchise, MGM offered him to direct the movie Casino Royale.
Speaking to Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the director said,
“It was a really weird time when I got a phone call saying, “Would you be interested in meeting about doing Casino Royale?” And I was like ‘oh my god, yes, I would.’ So I had this. I read the book again and went and met with them. We all got on, actually, I thought, really well. And then, welcome to Hollywood, I got a phone call from MGM saying ‘you’ve got the gig, don’t tell anyone.’”
Much to his amazement, Vaughn got the gig and was supposed to meet with people from EON productions for lunch, where things could proceed further. He even bought up Daniel Craig during the conversation, but the producers weren’t too keen on the actor. Sadly, after the lunch, when it was time to leave, Vaughn was not offered the position officially, like he had thought he would.
“So I went home thoroughly confused, and I rang up the chairman of MGM. And I said ‘what’s going on?’ And they said, ah, we spoke too soon, ‘you ain’t got it. And we’re going to cast Daniel.’ And I was like ‘oh, okay.’”
Thus, his one day of being the director of Casino Royale came to an unceremonious end.
Matthew Vaughn Made Way For Daniel Craig as 007
When the actors were auditioning for the role of James Bond for Casino Royale, even though Matthew Vaughn was the one who had initially bought up the name of Daniel Craig for the role, he said he preferred Henry Cavill’s audition better. But Barbara Broccoli preferred Craig, whom she liked in the movie Layer Cake (2004), ironically directed by Matthew Vaughn himself.
In a roundabout way, Vaughn made way for Daniel Craig to star in Casino Royale and the next 4 movies of the franchise. Whether it was by suggesting his name during the lunch meet, or with the movie Layer Cake, Vaughn somehow was the catalyst behind Daniel Craig becoming the megastar he is today because of his fame from the James Bond movies.
Not to take anything away from the actor himself, as he reinvented the character in the modern world. He gave it a spin of his own that was loved by fans all over the world and made sure the brand of James Bond was not lost in the 21st century.
All James Bond movies starring Daniel Craig are available for streaming on Prime Video.
