After his recent string of box office disappointments (Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go), director Sam Mendes might not have seemed like an obvious candidate for a massive Hollywood franchise, but based on the performance of Skyfall—which has already grossed more than $500 million worldwide—he suddenly seems like one of the hottest directors around. However, Skyfall isn’t the only tentpole that crossed the director’s desk in recent years. Mendes was also in contention for The Avengers, but he was extremely unimpressed with the materials that were submitted to him. Speaking to Moviefone, Mendes explained that he received a package from Marvel, but rather than a script or even a treatment, they only included some comic books and a release date.

Thanks to the efforts of co-writer-director Joss Whedon, The Avengers went on to become a global mega success, but Mendes doesn’t have any regrets. He insists that he wasn’t that interested in The Avengers—and Marvel wasn’t that interested in him. “That’s not my world particularly,” Mendes said. “I’ll go see it, particularly with my kids, but I didn’t want to make it. But I was probably one of 50 that got sent it; they didn’t target me specifically.” Bond fans all over the world have that disinterest to thank for the latest rejuvenation of their beloved franchise.