In the hands of Sam Mendes,Spectrewon an Oscar on top of grossing $880 million worldwide but the film mightve looked abitdifferent if helmed by Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn, who recently revealed he once turned down the opportunity to direct the 2015 James Bond sequel.
Speaking to theTelegraph,the 45-year-old explained why he chose to focus onmodel-on-model cannibalismwith JunesThe Neon Demoninstead of taking the reins of a world-renowned franchise.
I just know this way I can do whatever I want, and that outweighs any money anyone can give me, he said, referencing his decision to stick with his process of crafting smaller specialty films instead of working on big-budget studio flicks likeSpectre, which Eon Productions approached him about helming.
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According toIndieWire, Refn was also previously offered films likeWonder Womanand aBarbarellaremake, but he ultimately turned those projects down as well.
Though he chose not to directSpectre, Refn isnt entirely divorced from the world of James Bond: Hes currently at work on a Tokyo-set spy thrillerThe Avenging Silence, which was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the screenwriting duo who penned six Bond films between 1999 and 2015.
