The James Bond Villain Alan Rickman Almost Played

screenrant.com:

While Alan Rickman never appeared in the James Bond franchise, the legendary actor was considered for one iconic villain role from the series. A lot of famous faces have almost been involved in the James Bond franchise. Steven Spielberg missed out on the chance to direct not one but two different 007 outings, while Liam Neeson famously turned down the role of James Bond to spend more time with his wife.

However, it is not always the part of 007 himself that actors miss out on. Bond's iconic villains, from Blofeld to Goldfinger, can be some of the most memorable characters in the franchise. Many actors would jump at the chance to play a James Bond franchise villain and steal the show from under the main character's nose, but, unfortunately for some stars, the choice isn't always theirs to make.

Related: Why Bond 26 Can't Repeat No Time To Die's Best Twist

For example, the iconic actor Alan Rickman was passed over for a famous 007 villain role despite his impressive on-screen resume when the part was rewritten during the transition period between two of Bond's actors. Surprisingly enough, Rickman could have played Goldeneye's Alec Trevelyan as the actor was offered the role, as was Anthony Hopkins, before Sean Bean. Both accomplished screen veterans were too old to play Bond's contemporary — even in 1995 — but that is because Goldeneye's earlier script draft was closer to a Bond origin story (like Casino Royale) than the movie that viewers eventually got.

In this early draft of Goldeneye's script (written as a third Timothy Dalton Bond adventure), the character of Alec Trevelyan was less of a colleague to Bond and more of a wise older mentor. This made his betrayal of Bond and MI6 all the more devastating, but the angsty