Broccoli and Saltzman tried to convince Sean Connery to return as James Bond, but he declined. At the same time United Artists approached actors Adam West and Burt Reynolds. Reynolds told the studios that Bond should be played by a British actor and turned the offer down. Among the actors to test for the part of Bond were Julian Glover, John Gavin, Jeremy Brett, Simon Oates, John Ronane, and William Gaunt. The main frontrunner for the role was Michael Billington. United Artists was still pushing to cast an American to play Bond, but producer Albert R. Broccoli insisted that the part should be played by a British actor and put forward Roger Moore. After Moore was chosen, Billington remained on the top of the list in the event that Moore declined to come back for the next film. Billington ultimately played a brief role in the pre-credit sequence of "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977). Moore, who had been considered by the producers before both "Dr. No" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", was ultimately cast. He tried not to imitate either Connery's or his own prior performance as Simon Templar in "The Saint", and Mankiewicz fitted the screenplay into Moore's persona by giving more comedic scenes and a light-hearted approach to Bond.