In the sprawling, martini-soaked history of cinema’s longest-running franchise, one film sits on a peculiar throne: a bastard child, a legal loophole, and a glorious act of cinematic rebellion. That film is Never Say Never Again.
Never Say Never Again (1983) is often the forgotten stepchild of the Bond franchise, but it has so much swagger. Released the same year as Octopussy, it won the "Battle of the Bonds" at the box office and proved that audiences still wanted Connery.
, this movie was born from a decades-long legal dispute. Kevin McClory, who co-wrote the original story for Thunderball
: The classic "James Bond Theme" by Monty Norman could not be used; instead, Michel Legrand provided a jazzier, more contemporary score.
The film’s existence is rooted in a dispute between Bond creator Ian Fleming and producer Kevin McClory
Thus, Never Say Never Again became a real-life headline masquerading as a movie.