The Villians we almost had...

Hi all.

I thought something that would be interesting for those of you that where not aware, how close we came to several of our favourite Bond villians looking decidedly different to the ones that appeared on screen.
Some information I have heard on documentaries, some read in books, some urban myth, these are the people that where almost Bond villians.

Noel Coward as Dr No:
The story goes that Ian Fleming personally asked the famous Noel Coward to play Dr.No in the first Bond film. It would certainly have been a different style than the cold and calculating villian we got. Coward would certainly have been a more flamboyant presence(though not necessarily a better one).

Orson Welles as Goldfinger:
The producers apparently reached out to the legendary figure to play Goldfinger, but where put off by his huge wage demands.

Jan Werich as Blofeld(YOLT):
Werich was actually cast as Blofeld and filmed some scenes for YOLT. Depending on the source, Werich left the production, either due to ill health, or because he could not project a sinister enough presence to play Bond's arch nemesis.

Jack Palance as Scaramanga:
The famous American tough guy actor was apparently sounded out to play dark mirror image of Bond, Scaramanga, but turned down the role. Nobody could argue with Christopher Lee's portrayal, but Palance would have been interesting, and closer to the Fleming novels version if the character.

James Mason as Hugo Drax:
Supposedly the producers where set on the excellent Mason as Drax, but couldnt come to an agreement for him to join the production of Moonraker.

David Bowie as Zorin:
The story goes that Cubby Broccoli asked David Bowie to play Zorin in AVTAK. He said no. While undoubtedly a legendary figure, he was not as well known for his acting chops as his music.

Anthony Hopkins as Elliot Carver:
Hopkins was reportedly cast as Carver, before leaving the production because of script changes. He would have been, presumably a very different Carver to the brash version, portrayed superbly by Johnathan Pryce.

Robert Downey Jr as Gustav Graves:
Supposedly Downey Jr was the producer's first choice to play Graves, but where put off by the actor's(at the time) personal demons.

Hope you all enjoyed that, I am sure a lot of you have already heard of some of these, and if there are any that I have missed you have heard of or know about please comment.