For better or for worse, many dimensions of some of the first James Bond movies starring Sean Connery were almost completely different from what eventually turned out to make it into theaters. These areas include actors who could have taken the helm as Bond, played villains, stood in as Bond girls, or even belted out some of the signature Bond movie theme songs. Throughout the more than two dozen Bond films, some of the most memorable have been among the first few films featuring Connery in the titular role. Those same Bond pictures have also had some of the most surprising instances of different castings that almost came about.
https://screenrant.com/sean-connery-james-bond-movies-almost-different-changes/