Mel Gibson was too short to play James Bond

The 'Braveheart' star's 5ft 9in frame was deemed unsuitable to make a convincing portrayal of the iconic British spy - who is currently played by Daniel Craig - while producer Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli was also concerned that he was too famous for the role.

Scriptwriter Tom Mankiewicz - who wrote James Bond favourites 'The Man With The Golden Gun' and 'Live And Let Die' - said: "At one point Mel Gibson wanted to play Bond. And Cubby was against it. Cubby first of all had a thing about tall people.

"Bond had to be tall. And so Mel Gibson was too short. But he was a big star.

"Somebody at United Artists said to me, 'Call him and tell him Mel Gibson would be great.' And Cubby said, 'I don't want to make a Mel Gibson movie, I want to make a James Bond movie.'"

While Mel was desperate to portray James Bond, fellow Hollywood star Gerard Butler recently insisted he would never want to take on the role.

He said:"I enjoy doing an array of films. If I was to play Bond, that would quickly stop. How likely would I be accepted doing those roles after having played Bond?

"People outside of movies think it would be amazing to play 007, but as an actor you think, 'Well I don't know because from then on...'

"You do a lot of movies as Bond and you'd become even more synonymous with the role. I think Daniel Craig is a great Bond and good for him, but I would much rather create a role from nothing."