Never Say Never Again -james Bond 007- [updated] -

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“You can’t stop it alone,” she said, blood flecking her lips. Her breath was an admission.

But by 1982, Connery was 52 years old. His film career, while respectable, had not reached the monumental heights he desired since leaving 007. When a unique legal loophole allowed producer Jack Schwartzman to acquire the film rights to Thunderball independently of Eon Productions, Connery saw an opportunity. He agreed to return, but on his own terms: a massive salary, creative control, and a title that directly mocked his earlier vow.

These missing audio-visual cues prevented the film from fully feeling like a "true" Bond movie for many purists, giving it the distinct aura of a high-budget counterfeit. 1983: The Battle of the Bonds Never Say Never Again -James Bond 007-

McClory successfully courted Connery not just to star, but to assist in the script development alongside writers Lorenzo Semple Jr., Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais. For Connery, the project was a chance to play a different kind of Bond: an older, weathered agent who must rely on his wits rather than the high-tech gadgets favored by the contemporary Roger Moore films. Producer Jack Schwartzman eventually brought the project to fruition under the banner of Taliafilm, securing major distribution from Warner Bros. A Familiar Story with a Fresh Twist

The story of Never Say Never Again begins not in 1983, but in the early 1960s with a bitter legal feud over the rights to the story that would become the novel and film Thunderball . Before Eon Productions made a single Bond film, novelist Ian Fleming collaborated with producer Kevin McClory and screenwriter Jack Whittingham on a screenplay about stolen nuclear warheads. Fleming later adapted this collaborative work into the novel Thunderball without crediting his partners, a move that led McClory to sue for plagiarism.

McClory sued Fleming for plagiarism. A 1963 settlement awarded McClory the film rights to Thunderball , its plot line, and crucially, the cinematic rights to the terrorist organization SPECTRE and its leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. While Eon Productions co-produced the 1965 adaptation of Thunderball with McClory, the legal agreement allowed McClory to produce his own adaptation of the story after a ten-year period. By the late 1970s, McClory set out to exercise that right, launching a production that would directly challenge Eon's monopoly on 007. The Battle of the Bonds: 1983 This public link is valid for 7 days

SPECTRE executes a daring plot to steal two American nuclear cruise missiles by compromising a US Air Force pilot through extortion and drugs.

Released in late 1983, Never Say Never Again was a commercial success, grossing over $160 million worldwide. While Roger Moore's Octopussy narrowly beat it at the global box office, Connery's return proved that audiences had an insatiable appetite for his specific iteration of 007.

As a standalone artifact, it represents the ultimate "what if"—a glimpse at a parallel universe James Bond, produced by a rival studio, starring an older, grittier Connery in a 1980s action landscape. It is a powerful monument to one of Hollywood’s greatest legal and creative battles, and a must-see for any true Bond aficionado seeking the complete 007 story. Can’t copy the link right now

Because of these rights, Never Say Never Again is essentially a second adaptation of the Thunderball storyline.

The film opens with Bond failing a training exercise because his reflexes have slowed. M (played with bureaucratic coldness by Edward Fox) considers the Double-O section a relic of the past and sends Bond to a health clinic to detoxify.

Because McClory’s legal rights were strictly limited to the narrative framework of Thunderball , Never Say Never Again is fundamentally a remake. The plot mirrors the 1965 film closely: SPECTRE hijacks two American nuclear missiles and holds the world ransom, forcing MI6 to pull an aging James Bond out of semi-retirement to track down the weapons. However, the 1983 film adopted a distinctly different tone:

Produced on a $36 million budget, it grossed approximately $160 million worldwide.

The film is essentially a remake of 1965’s Thunderball . Due to a long-standing legal battle over rights between writer Ian Fleming and producer Kevin McClory, McClory was permitted to produce his own adaptation of the story. This is why the film lacks the iconic gun-barrel opening, the "007 Theme," and other trademark Eon elements. The Review: What Works and What Doesn’t Never Say Never Again (1983) - IMDb