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Steven Spielberg created Indiana Jones after being turned down as a Bond film director, according to 007 legend Roger Moore.

Spielberg was allegedly turned down for several Bond films in the early 1980s as franchise owners thought he may want too much cash.

Sir Roger Moore, 85, felt the Jaws director would have been an excellent creative for 007.

However, franchise owner Cubby Broccoli refused to even consider the respected American as he thought he would have wanted a cut of profits.

Spielberg’s first three Indiana Jones are in the top 20 highest grossing films of all time.

Moore’s revelation comes as Broccoli’s daughter Barbara went against the grain by hiring a renown director Sam Mendes for the latest Bond film Skyfall.

Sir Roger said: “I bumped into Spielberg in Paris and we were talking and he said he would be very interested in doing Bond.

“So I went back to Cubby very excited and said ‘This Spielberg would like to do a Bond.

“They declined and said ‘He would want a big piece of the film’ - and they didn’t want to give it away

“And so he went off and did Indiana Jones, which is Bond in another way.”

Sir Roger is out promoting a book Bond On Bond about the 50 year history of the franchise, and promoting a one man show tour.

The star, who spent 12 years as 007, feels he could still make a re-appearance in the franchise alongside M.

He told the BBC: “I would love to be the villain as long as he would be sitting in the chair.

“The villains have much better lines and wonderful speeches.

“And it certainly occurred to me I would make a reasonable M, because he didn’t move around that much.”

Moore adores Daniel Craig in the modern versions of the franchise, although he was concerned about the violence levels.

Even in his final outing in A View To A Kill, Moore felt that the movies were trying to compete with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone in their 1980s blockbusters.

“I thought there was a little too much murder and mayhem, with all these men being shot, blown up and falling off the side of cliffs.

“It was not really what I thought we were doing.

“ But I suppose it was keeping up with the times and violent films were out and about.

“Bond had been faced by the imitators like Our Man Flint and Dean Martin flicks that were all parodies.

“And trying to parody a parody I itself which didn’t make it quite as funny,

“I personally enjoyed the one liner. I think it is rather wonderful to be part of that legacy.”