“Never say never,” he murmured, thinking of threats, of hopes, of the strange human urge to imagine endings. “But always be ready.”
By 1982, the legal path was clear, but McClory still needed the one ingredient that could make his production a true competitor: . The actor had famously vowed he would "never again" play Bond after his 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever , reportedly feeling both typecast and underpaid for his world-defining role. But a decade later, the landscape had changed. In the interim, Connery had seen his successors, particularly Roger Moore, earn vast sums, while the actor who started it all had not partaken in the franchise's massive financial success.
The plot closely follows the blueprint of Thunderball . SPECTRE, headed by the sinister Blofeld, hijacks two nuclear warheads and holds the world for ransom. The prime suspects are Largo and his alluring companion, Domino. As the mission progresses, Bond discovers that Largo plans to detonate the bombs in major cities unless a massive ransom is paid. Never Say Never Again -James Bond 007-
The origins of Never Say Never Again date back to the late 1950s, long before the official film franchise began.
Decades later, the legal saga finally concluded. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Eon Productions successfully acquired the rights to the Thunderball material and Never Say Never Again from McClory's estate. Today, the film is quietly bundled into home media collections alongside its Eon siblings. “Never say never,” he murmured, thinking of threats,
: Irvin Kershner, who had previously directed The Empire Strikes Back .
: Lacking the rights to the famous Monty Norman James Bond theme, the iconic gun barrel opening, and the stylized titles by Maurice Binder, the film feels visually and auditorily distinct. The jazz-inflected score by Michel Legrand replaced the traditional John Barry sound. Box Office and Legacy But a decade later, the landscape had changed
To understand why Never Say Never Again exists, one must travel back to the late 1950s, long before Sean Connery ever put on a tuxedo.
Without the constraints of Eon’s traditional casting pipeline, Never Say Never Again assembled a spectacular and highly eccentric ensemble:
Ultimately, Never Say Never Again is a fascinating piece of cinematic history. It isn't a perfect movie—its pacing drags in the second half, and the musical score is an acquired taste—but it serves as a triumphant curtain call for the man who built the franchise. It proved that James Bond is a character larger than any studio, and it allowed Sean Connery to say goodbye to the double-0 agent on his own terms.
Bond flexed his fingers around an espresso cup. “Who do they have for muscle?”