So J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg were interviewed about Super 8 in the June 17 issue of Entertainment Weekly, and when Spielberg was asked, “If you were starting out today, with a shot at directing a franchise, which one would it be?,” here’s what he had to say:

When I first started making movies, the only franchise I cared about and wanted to be a part of was James Bond. When I started out as a TV director, my pie-in-the-sky dream was to make a little movie that would get some notoriety, and then [the late Bond series producer] Cubby Broccoli would call me and ask me to direct the next James Bond picture. But I could never get Cubby Broccoli to hire me—and now, sadly, they cant afford me.

Let me get this straight. Steven Spielberg, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, won’t be able to make a childhood dream come true … because they won’t PAY him enough.

There’s something extremely—and perversely—sad about that.