JOHN TRAVOLTA - TRAVOLTA: 'I TURNED DOWN BOND'

JOHN TRAVOLTA's cousin RIKKI LEE TRAVOLTA has revealed he was producers' first choice to play superspy JAMES BOND - but he turned the role down.

The 30-year-old says Bond bosses took so long to announce DANIEL CRAIG as the new 007, because they were busy courting him for the part in CASINO ROYALE.

Travolta claims he was the fans' choice for the role once his name was mentioned among the front-runners for the part, and insists he was deluged with mail from Bond devotees, urging him to play the latest 007.

He received 135,000 copies of the IAN FLEMING book Casino Royale from fans around the globe - he plans to donate them all to libraries and schools.

But Travolta ultimately felt he wasn't the right man to be PIERCE BROSNAN's successor.

He tells Moviehole.net, "James Bond is one of the most dynamic roles in history, and also one of the most extreme and career defining commitments an actor can make.

"After very careful consideration I feel that James Bond might not be the best vehicle for me to commit to at this point."

Instead the less-famous Travolta is in negotiations to play comic book superhero CAPTAIN AMERICA in a new movie.