James Bond: Timothy Dalton’s unmade 3rd 007 film: The Movie That Almost Was

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

In 1987, Timothy Dalton made his big-screen debut as James Bond in the well-received The Living Daylights. The film was a box-office hit, and critics and audiences alike praised his darker take on the character. In 1989, the second Dalton 007 outing, Licence to Kill was released, but this time, many thought they’d taken the character too far into the darkness with its grounded tale of drug lords and revenge. The film underperformed dramatically at the U.S box office.

Nevertheless, a third Dalton outing was planned. Tentatively titled The Property of a Lady, the film never actually got made, but it came very close. Join us on The Movie That Almost Was as we explain why a third 007 movie with Dalton never happened, and why it took six years for Pierce Brosnan’s debut as 007, Goldeneye, to get made. 

For more info on unmade James Bond movies, check out author Mark Edlitz’s fascinating accounting of the James Bond Movies that never were – “The Lost Adventures of James Bond”.