While Alan Rickman never appeared in the James Bond franchise, the legendary actor was considered for one iconic villain role from the series. A lot of famous faces have almost been involved in the James Bond franchise. Steven Spielberg missed out on the chance to direct not one but two different 007 outings, while Liam Neeson famously turned down the role of James Bond to spend more time with his wife.
However, it is not always the part of 007 himself that actors miss out on. Bond's iconic villains, from Blofeld to Goldfinger, can be some of the most memorable characters in the franchise. Many actors would jump at the chance to play a James Bond franchise villain and steal the show from under the main character's nose, but, unfortunately for some stars, the choice isn't always theirs to make.
For example, the iconic actor Alan Rickman was passed over for a famous 007 villain role despite his impressive on-screen resume when the part was rewritten during the transition period between two of Bond's actors. Surprisingly enough, Rickman could have played Goldeneye's Alec Trevelyan as the actor was offered the role, as was Anthony Hopkins, before Sean Bean. Both accomplished screen veterans were too old to play Bond's contemporary - even in 1995 - but that is because Goldeneye's earlier script draft was closer to a Bond origin story (like Casino Royale) than the movie that viewers eventually got.
How (& Why) Goldeneye's Original Alec Trevelyan Changed
In this early draft of Goldeneye's script (written as a third Timothy Dalton Bond adventure), the character of Alec Trevelyan was less of a colleague to Bond and more of a wise older mentor. This made his betrayal of Bond and MI6 all the more devastating, but the angsty plot might not have worked as well with Brosnan's winking charisma at the time. Brosnan brought an edge of meta-comedy back to the character after Dalton's edgy, self-serious Bond, so it makes sense that his villain for Goldeneye was aged down accordingly. Like Hopkins, the late, great Rickman was arguably too old to play Goldeneye's cocky version of Bond's rival as effectively as Bean did.
Much in the same way as Brosnan's later Bond adventure Die Another Day couldn't pull off dark scenes of anguish and inner torment, Hopkins and Rickman would not have had the playful, rebellious edge that Bean brings to the part. Trevelyan feels more like a rival of Bond's who wants to prove himself better than his competitor than a wizened, bitter member of MI6's old guard, and this energetic portrayal makes him stand out among a cadre of Bond villains who usually skew older. As a result, the Bond movie's decision to go with a star closer to Brosnan's age ultimately worked to the franchise's benefit. However, it nonetheless resulted in the James Bond franchise never featuring screen icon Alan Rickman as an addition to the rogue's gallery of villains featured in the series.