Gerard Butler was once top pick for James Bond

Gerard Butler has revealed he was a top pick to play James Bond 20 years ago.
The Scottish star’s name has been linked to 007 for years and his name is still on fans’ wish lists to replace Daniel Craig, but he insists he’s too old for the part now.
Promoting his new movie Angel Has Fallen on British radio show Capital Breakfast, the 49 year old told host Roman Kemp, “I had a meeting for it (Bond), like, 20 years ago. Now, I think I’m at a nice ripe old age where they won’t be coming back my way, which is fine… (but) I love Bond, I grew up on Bond.”
And he insists he’s living out his Bond fantasies as Mike Banning in the Olympus Has Fallen film franchise: “We created our own Bond, and that’s more fun than to have to play Bond and be compared to the others like, ‘he’s not as good as him…’ I won’t ever have to go through that.”
Butler started playing Banning in Olympus Has Fallen in 2013. He reprised the character in London Has Fallen in 2016 – and now he’s back to save the day again.