Steven Spielberg claims he offered to direct James Bond movie twice

Steven Spielberg has claimed that his attempts to direct a James Bond movie early in his career were shut down twice.

The Jurassic Park filmmaker revealed on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast on Wednesday that he approached Bond franchise producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli about directing an instalment after the success of his 1975 film Jaws - but Broccoli rejected the idea.

"I approached Cubby after Jaws was a big hit," Spielberg said. "I'd always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw (the first film) Dr. No, so I called Cubby after Jaws and volunteered. I said, 'If you need a director, I would love to direct one.' And he said no."

Spielberg tried again several years later when Broccoli called him and asked if he could use the famous five-note musical melody from 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the 1979 Bond outing Moonraker.

"I said, 'I'll make you a deal. I'll give you permission to use the five notes if you let me direct a Bond film.' And he said no. But I gave him the five notes anyway," he shared. "So they consistently turned me down - at least, Broccoli did. He never explained why he wasn't letting me into the Bond family."

The Saving Private Ryan director told that story to his close friend, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and Lucas suggested he direct the Indiana Jones franchise instead.

"He said, 'I have something better than Bond. It's called Indiana Smith,' which is what it was called at the time," he continued. "He told me the premise of the Indiana Jones series, and that's how I got that job."

Spielberg directed the initial '80s trilogy - Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade - before returning to the popular franchise for one final outing - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - in 2008.

Asked if he still wanted to direct a Bond movie, he replied, "So if they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: 'You can't afford me.'"

Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will direct the next Bond film. Spielberg's new movie, Disclosure Day, is in cinemas now.