Clive Owen Never Played James Bond, But He Came Close in This Thriller Heading to a New Streamer

As the world gets ready to welcome a new actor in the role of James Bond, it’s interesting to remember all the rumors that were swirling before Daniel Craig bagged the part in the mid-2000s. Henry Cavill was shortlisted, as were Sam Worthington and Rupert Friend. However, one star who was seemingly always in talks for the role, but has said that he actually wasn’t, is Clive Owen. The time has passed for him to play the iconic British spy now, especially with reports suggesting that the new Agent 007 will be a relatively unknown actor in their 30s. However, Owen played a version of a suave spy in the 2009 film The International, which will soon be made available to stream on Hulu.

Directed by Tom Tykwer, The International featured Owen as an Interpol agent who partners up with a lawyer (Naomi Watts) to investigate the workings of a shady bank accused of funding crime organizations and other corrupt activities. The movie received mixed reviews, and underperformed at the box office. However, it’s remembered for Owen’s silky performance, and for a few set pieces — the first unfolds on rooftops in Istanbul, and the second is a shootout inside the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Produced on a reported budget of $50 million, The International grossed around $60 million at the worldwide box office. Despite being praised for its topical themes, seeing as it was released only a year after the Great Recession of 2008, the movie opened to mixed reviews. It holds a 57% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “The International boasts some electric action sequences and picturesque locales, but is undone by its preposterous plot.” The great critic Roger Ebert seemed to like the movie more than most, and he praised Owen’s performance in his review. “He’s handsome and has the obligatory macho stubble, but he has a quality that makes you worry a little about him,” Ebert wrote.

Clive Owen Ended Up Working with a James Bond Director After All

Owen’s last major role was playing another famous literary character, Sam Spade, in a miniseries co-created by Scott Frank. Incidentally, he worked with director Martin Campell, who helmed the Bond films GoldenEye and Casino Royale, on the recent thriller Cleaner, starring Daisy Ridley.

You can watch The International on Hulu starting in November, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.