“To me it becomes too… it would take you out of the movie. Connery is Bond and he’s not going to come back as another character,” Mendes told The Huffington Post. “It was a very brief flirtation with that thought, but it was never going to happen, because I thought it would distract.”

But a source close to the production suggests that Connery’s involvement in Skyfall was far more than merely an early abandoned idea. In fact, we’re told that not only did Connery rehearse for the part, but also that Kincade and the Skyfall Lodge’s part in the film would have once been rather different.

The story goes that, as initially written, Skyfall Lodge was intended as an isolated refuge for retired agents — and that Connery would have been one of them. The conclusion of Skyfall would therefore have seen Craig’s Bond defend Skyfall Lodge from Silva’s goons; we understand that Connery wouldn’t have been specifically referred to as a 00 Agent — “it was left reasonably vague,” we’re told — but the implication would have been there.

According to our source, who was on the production at the time, rehearsal footage was shot with Connery as Kincade, but the actor’s ill health was such that, regrettably, Connery had to bow out. Following Connery’s departure, all mention of his involvement was quietly glossed over.

One of the other cinematic Bonds was allegedly sought — George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton are the two names provided to us — but ultimately, the script was rewritten and Albert Finney was brought in to play Kincade, now a groundskeeper.