Pre-production was underway for the final film in Dalton’s original three-movie contract. However, a protracted four-year legal battle between MGM and Bond producers Eon put everything on hold. Although Dalton’s contract had now expired, he was approached to start work on Goldeneye in 1994.

The actor later said: “Albert Broccoli asked if I would come back, and I said, ‘Well, I’ve actually changed my mind a little bit. I think that I’d love to do one. Try and take the best of the two that I have done, and consolidate them into a third.’”

“He said, quite rightly, ‘Look, Tim. You can’t do one. There’s no way, after a five-year gap between movies that you can come back and just do one. You’d have to plan on four or five.’

“And I thought, ‘Oh, no, that would be the rest of my life. Too much. Too long.’ So I respectfully declined.”