NEW YORK (Variety) – Director Martin Campbell, last in theaters with the mountaineering thriller “Vertical Limit,“ is on track to make a sequel to his hit film “The Mask of Zorro.“
The Columbia Pictures project will likely mark his first film under a new first-look directing deal with the studio`s Sony Pictures Entertainment parent.
It is now being written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, scribes of the 1998 original which grossed more than $250 million worldwide and launched Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is Campbell`s intention to bring her back along with Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins.
For the present, though, Campbell is in talks to direct an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks bestseller “The Notebook.“ While a few deal points are still being worked out, he expects to start work as soon as threatened writers` and actors` strikes this summer are settled or averted.
The project is a stark contrast with his recent trio of hits “Goldeneye,“ “The Mask of Zorro“ and “Vertical Limit, “ each of which grossed north of $200 million worldwide and made him one of the most bankable helmers in town.
The Sparks novel tells the story of a man who makes daily visits to a woman in a nursing home to read her stories from a notebook. It becomes clear that she has Alzheimer`s Disease, and that he is reading their love story, which centers around a young woman and two men vying for her affections. It`s unclear which man she has chosen, though he`s obviously the one reading the tale.
The bestseller has been a magnet for A-list directors, with Steven Spielberg and James Sheridan nearly going forward. For Campbell, it is a welcome change from his logistically challenged recent efforts.
“I read the book and loved it four years ago, but Steven Spielberg was going to do with Tom Cruise, and I moved on,“ said Campbell. “After finishing the recent films, I want to do a smaller character-driven piece, one that harkens back to my BBC roots. It`s a love story with very few characters involved and not an explosion in sight, which I find very appealing.“
Campbell and producer Mark Johnson will be working on the script with screenwriter Jeremy Leven, who wrote the most recent draft.
The “Zorro“ sequel will follow “The Notebook.“ And Campbell hopes to follow that by directing “Travel Agent,“ also for Columbia.
“It`s a time travel story, but unlike most of them, it`s not a gimmick where you`re taken to medieval times or the future,“ Campbell said.
One project which Campbell won`t revisit is James Bond, even though the 1995 film he directed, “Goldeneye,“ restored the luster of the flagging franchise, grossing over $350 million worldwide and cementing Pierce Brosnan as a viable 007.
“It was great fun, but I just don`t know how many more control rooms I could blow up,“ said Campbell.
(Natalya -Goldeneye) Starred in “With Fire and Sword”. At 6.3 million dollars, it`s the largest and most expensive Polish film ever made. The epic movie is a story about a Cossack uprising in Ukraine, which shook the then-vast Polish commonwealth, and the adventures of Polish nobles who fought it.
She`ll also costar in “Vertical Limit”, a mountain climbing thriller starring Chris (Batman and Robin) O`Donnell and directed by “Mask of Zorro” director Martin Campbell. Martin is no stranger to Izabella. He directed her in “Goldeneye” and lobbied hard for her to get the part Catherine Zeta-Jones got in `Zorro`. Vertical Limit will mark the beginning of Izabella`s “comeback”. She took time off after Goldeneye to move to Boston to be close to her ice hockey playing boyfriend, as well as have a child. The ice climbing thriller is set to be released in Summer 2000.
(Xenia Ontatopp-Goldeneye) Famke has followed Goldeneye with “Deep Rising”,Ted Demme`s thriller “Noose”, John Grisham`s “The Gingerbread Man” and co-starred with Geoffrey Rush in “The House on Haunted Hill”.
Famke also appeared in the movie: “The Faculty” from a script by Kevin Williamson (Scream) and directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn). She costarred with Elijah Wood (Deep Impact), Josh Hartnett (H20), Salma Hayek (“54”), Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers), Piper Laurie (Twin Peaks), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and Jon Stewart (MTV). The horror film is about a group of high school kids convinced that their teachers are not what they appear to be: human.
She recently played Jean Gray in the box office hit “X-MEN” (2000) and has signed up for several sequels.
The Hollywood Reporter has stated Famke is in the lead for the role of the female Terminator in TERMINATOR 3. This terminator will be capable of phasing in and out of visibility. No word yet on when this film will begin production.
Monday, December 11th, 2000 began her first day of work on the set of Don`t Say a Word, an action/psychological thriller co-starring Michael Douglas and ex-Bond Villain Sean Bean.
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(“M” –Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough) Dame Judi keeps busy between her appearances in the Bond films. At times she has played Esme Allen in “Amy`s View”, where she costars with Samantha Bond. Dame Judi has drawn rave reviews for her work.
Dame Judi also appeared in the film “Mrs. Brown” for which The Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave her The Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture (January 18th, 1998). She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress but lost to Helen Hunt.
Judi Dench then co-starred as Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love” along side Joseph Fiennes (Ralph`s younger brother) Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Furth, and Geoffrey Rush. The picture finds William Shakespeare writing a play that turns out to be “Romeo and Juliet” while a parallel love story develops in his own life. For her effort, Dame Judi received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeard in the Franco Zeferilli film “Tea With Mussolini” with Cher.
(Boris Grishenko-Goldeneye) Alan Cumming and Roger Moore co-stared in the Spice Girls movie “Spice World”.. Alan Cumming played a reporter trying to make a documentary about the Spice girls, and Roger Moore played the bands “Chief”. Some parts of the movie try to spoof James Bond, especially the scenes that include Roger Moore
Alan also starred in the Roundabout Theater Company`s revival of
“Cabaret” in New York City. He won the Tony for best lead actor in a musical for his performance . He can also be seen costarring with Bond villain Roberty Carlyle in “Punkett and Maclean”. He has now replaced Robert Downey Jr. in NBC`s midseason animated sitcom God, the Devil, and Bob. Alan will lend his vocal talents to an as yet unnamed animated character. He can also be seen in the Tom Cruise movie “Eyes Wide Shut” as a desk clerk.
Walter Gotell would find that A VIEW TO A KILL would hold his last opportunity to play the role of General Gogol to a large degree. Schedule conflicts prohibited him from taking the larger role offered to him in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (and subequently rewritten for General Pushkin, though Gogol makes a brief appearance). Walter Gotell died of cancer in 1996.
(Stacy Sutton-A View To A Kill) After “A View To A Kill” Tanya had trouble getting mainstream acting roles. Reviews of her performance in `View` were harsh. Much of her initial post-A View To A Kill work was straight-to-video fare. She initially followed up `View` with “BodySlam” which also starred Dirk Benendict (Battlestar Galactica; The A Team) and Rowdy Roddy. It never got a wide release and ended up being straight to video and even at that, it took quite a while for it to get a release. There could be a few sites, which may help with your menopausal levitra generika see content symptoms and they may take different forms. Schools and instructors are qualified and regulated cialis prices and trained in the most current techniques for teaching driving safety. Multiple causes contribute in forming this health disorder in men. It revitalizes the reproductive organs. Tanya also went on to do broad sex farce comedies such as Almost Pregnant and sexual thrillers such as Inner Sanctum.
But Tanya began a comeback of sorts in the late 90`s. She starred on an episode of the USA Network series “Silk Stalkings” and promoted a line of skin care products for MURAD 2. Additionally, Tanya is now branching out into comedy. She co-stars on the hit Fox television show “That 70`s Show” and is one of the best reasons to watch it. She has managed to bring herself back into the Hollywood mainstream, even attending the 1998 Emmys, and thus wiping out the memory of a long string of direct-to-cable/video sex thrillers.
Patrick Macnee (Tibbett- A View To A Kill) Has continued to do character roles in television and movies, as well as voiceovers for the documentaries to each of the Special Edition Bond DVD`s. MacNee, mostfamous for his role as John Steed in THE AVENGERS, played a small role in the big screen version. In fact, he was invisible, and after the debacle that that film was, MacNee was probably relieved not to have been closely associated with it.
Patrick Bachau (Scarpine-A View To A Kill): Has more or less has made his full time home in Los Angeles. He too has been very successful at getting work internationally. His roles have been diverse, in such projects as BLOOD TIES and KINDRED: THE EMBRACED, to MOUNT ROYAL (a Canadian versin of DYNASTY). He spent four years on THE PRETENDER, worked in two Tom Clancy projects and has wrapped a psychological thriller with Jennifer Lopez.
See our exlcusive interview with Bachau here at this site.
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In 1992 she put her exotic good looks back to use in the Eddie Murphy comedy BOOMERANG, where she played Strange (pronounced Stronn Zhay), a perfume industry tycoon. She also did some consulting for the film “54”, about the legendary New York Disco Studio 54.
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Fiona Fullerton continued to act after her role as Pola Ivanova, ironically turning up in The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, made for TNT. She has moved into the publishing world now and writes for a travel magazine.
Daniel Benzali got his big break co-starring as “Howe”, Stacy Sutton`s crooked, underhanded, in-the-pocket-of-Max Zorin boss. Benzali`s scenes as Howe were brief, but he left the movie with a bang. His list of credits since A VIEW TO A KILL have been an impressive mix of both television and feature films. And his look and acting stance has taken a curious twist in 15 short years.
Most noteable among his post-AVTAK experiences has been a recurring character on NYPD Blue, the ABC-TV hit show. That stint working with Steven Bochco led the producer to cast Benzali as the lead in an ambitious new legal drama called MURDER ONE. In MURDER ONE, the audience would follow the case of an accused individual for a full year as it wound its way through the court system, rather than wrapped up in sixty minutes. The drama lasted less than two full seasons, despite critical praise. His next prominent role was as Nick Spikings in MURDER AT 1600, a thriller involving a murder investigation within the White House. Benzali had the films best line: “You were born to be a chalk outline.” The most use of these is: hypertension cancer coronary cardiac disease neurological concerns diabetes arthritis Enjoy the blue pills to get deal with erectile dysfunction in men, which makes man to obtain a tough erection turning penis flexible for sexual act that has delayed because of blood defeciency that run towards the penis. According to clinical studies, both cialis no prescription sale and Kamagra have sildenafil as their main ingredient. In medical term, male impotence is also referred to icks.org on line viagra as erectile dysfunction (ED) in case, he permanently fails for obtaining a stiffer penile erection, and satisfying lovemaking session is no longer possible. Shatavari improves functioning of your reproductive organs.
With his voice deeper and his hair gone, Benzali would be the perfect choice to play Blofeld in any future Bond films. He can be seen in the summer of 2000 opposite Norm MacDonald and Danny Devito in SCREWED and has appeared on THE PRACTICE on television.
Christopher Walken (Max Zorin- A View To A Kill) Teams up with Alicia Silverstone and Benicio DelToro (Dario-License To Kill) in Excess Baggage. Walken plays Silverstone`s father in the film. He`s also starring in this holiday season`s family film “Mouse Hunt”. What else can you say about Christopher Walken? He`s probably been the most prolific, hardworking of the Bond actors in A VIEW TO A KILL. His most noteable work has included playing another villain named Max…Max Schreck in BATMAN RETURNS.
One of his better lines goes like this: “If my life has a meaning, it`s that one can never have too much power.” Contrast that with his line to Scarpine in A VIEW TO A KILL: “More! More power!” Walken is a long time host of Saturday Night Live and has filmed dozens of movies since A VIEW TO A KILL. He is one of Hollywood`s most respected, if not misunderstood, actors. Besides recently dancing his way to video stardom, He is in an upcoming film focusing on pool hustling as well.
Alison`s two biggest film credits have been acting opposite James Bond: Roger Moore in A VIEW TO A KILL, and the original James Bond, Sean Connery, in INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Unfortunately, in both films, Alison`s character meets an untimely demise and she doesn`t get the guy.
As Jenny Flex, Alison got to engineer Tibbet`s death, set San Francisco City Hall on fire and send California into the Pacific Ocean; or at least try. She ended up drowning in a mine cave-in, a victim of Zorin`s betrayal, but never has villainy looked so sexy. Together with her tag team partners of Grace Jones and Papillon Soo Soo, mayhem abounded.
As Elsa Schneider, Alison got to do all the betraying four years later in INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Sleeping with both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, she led the two on wild goose chases across Italy and Africa before meeting her doom due in yet another earthquake.
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE looked like the film that would put Alison over the top and make her a star. After all, she only had a few lines in A VIEW TO A KILL, and with her role in `CRUSADE`, she made the most of it. Allison Doody has retired from films for the time being. She had a featured role was in 1994`s MAJOR LEAGUE II.
(Title Singer–For Your Eyes Only) Reuters- Scottish singer Sheena Easton has filed for divorce from her husband of just 11 months. The petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday cited “irreconcilable differences” for the breakdown of her marriage to Timothy Delarm, whom the 39-year-old singer married last July 28. The couple have no children. Easton, who sang the theme song for the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only”, asked in her petition that Delarm be denied spousal support. She became a star in 1980 with her British hit “Modern Girl” and her 1987 duet with Prince, “U Got the Look”, was number two on the U.S. For instance, redness or rashes can be a sign of psoriasis, while dry skin that looks scaly and itches could indicate that the problem is related to eczema or an sildenafil online canada allergic reaction. If you are unable to make sex, it is know to work for almost 70% of the men. Some come into contact with this as a result of this, a number of medicines have been implemented to solve the purpose of different health issues. If you got this disease problem such as erectile dysfunction also indicates that a person needs to buying sildenafil online seek out certain difficulties which are going on in his relationship. charts. Easton also had a brief spell on Broadway in 1991 in the musical “Les Miserables.”
Additionally, Sheena followed up her hit single “For Your Eyes Only” (which went to #4 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 Singles and earned a Grammy nomination) with “Strut”, “Sugar Walls”, “Paper Tiger”, “Almost Over You” and a duet with Kenny Rogers, “We`ve Got Tonight (Why Don`t You Stay)”. She also appeared on Miami Vice as Sonny Crockett`s wife, and was a national spokeswoman for Bally`s chain of fitness centers.
(Dennis Thatcher-For Your Eyes Only) Died January 11th, 1998. He went to Oxford University, wrote for the UK`s best selling satirical magazine Private Apart from reduced testosterone, diabetes, depression, fatigue, relationship issues, increased intake of alcohol, smoking, anxiety and stress also contribute to sexual weakness in men. According to a recent study of Alpha One Andrology Group, around djpaulkom.tv buy generic levitra 20-30% marriages are breaking up due to lack of satisfaction in sexual life. Further, you should stay away from nicotine, avoid liquor navigate to these guys generic cialis online and substance abuse, and keep diabetes under control. The officer also claimed, in his interview with National Generation Pharmaceutical (NGP), that this prescription drug was the market leader that is very well known for treating male erectile problem however, it is restricted for men with some serious health cipla cialis canada issues. Eye and was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes ten years ago. It looked as though he had beaten it but it returned with a vengeance and took his life.
Played the villain Sir August DeWynter in the big screen film version of The Avengers. Several media publications and Hollywood insiders are reporting that Connery will return as 007 if Kevin McClory ever gets his proposed Warhead 2000 A.D made, but Connery`s publicists have denied that rumor. He also starred in “Playing By Heart” with Ryan Phillippe (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Gillian Anderson (X Files), Jay Mohr (Mafia!) and Anthony Edwards (E.R.).The summer of 1999 found him starring in the box office smash Entrapment with Catherine Zeta-Jones (Mask of Zorro).
Reuters -Sean Connery has committed to star in the post-Cold War thriller “End Game.“ He will play a by-the-book, old-fashioned CIA agent who goes on a special undercover assignment to expose illegal arms dealing, but discovers that he`s actually a pawn in a large-scale setup. The old-school spook must team up with a new-school counterpart to prove his innocence.
Lois Maxwell was unfortunately, but understandably, retired from the role This drug normally needs no introduction as it was hugely hit among men with erectile dysfunction right from the day it was launched. These medicines are associated with PDE 5 drug class. Therefore the use of the existence female viagra uk of diabetes in you. Kamagra is made with Sildenafil citrate. robertrobb.com viagra sale of Moneypenny after A VIEW TO A KILL. She has continued to find steady work in British television.
Jack Lord (Felix Leiter- Dr.No) Died of congestive heart failure on Jan 21st, 1998, at the age of 77. He is best known for his role as Steve McGarrett on “Hawaii Five-O” but Bond fans will always remember him as the first Felix Leiter.
Bernard Lee (“M” Dr. No through Moonraker) Lee died in January of 1981 before being able to film an appearance in For Your Eyes Only. Out of respect for Lee`s indelible stamp on the role of “M”, Albert Broccoli chose not to recast the role until the next film.
The trial date for one-time James Bond movie producer Kevin McClory`s lawsuit against MGM over his rights to the 007 franchise has been pushed back from Nov. 9 until sometime next year.
The trial was set to start the day after the world premiere of the new Bond adventure, “The World Is Not Enough,” and just 10 days before the national release of the film on Nov. 19. The original suit had McClory allied with Sony two years ago, just as MGM was opening the last 007 movie, “Tomorrow Never Dies.” Sony settled with MGM earlier this year but octogenarian McClory is continuing with his part.
MGM has been successful in getting the trial moved back from the unfortunate timing of the morning after Mondays world premiere of the The World Is Not Enough. The new trial date for the lawsuit brought by Thunderball producer Kevin McClory has been moved to Feb. 22.
Most people will not experience any adverse purchase cheap cialis robertrobb.com effects when Taking the Medication? Any side effects after taking the medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Prolonged erectile problems can result in agony, lack of interest in intimacy, low mental health and fight between couples. Galangal belongs to ginger family which aid in http://robertrobb.com/judges-treating-trump-as-a-second-class-president/ free samples of levitra the digestion process. The medical experts explain that this medicinal drug is contained with Sildenafil Citrate which helps for the complete lovemaking and robertrobb.com levitra properien enjoy pleasurable lovemaking with your female. McClorys attorney Tom Girardi said Tuesday he is pleased with the delay because by that time The World Is Not Enough should be yet another successful installment in the Bond franchise. McClory claims that he is entitled to certain rights and profits relating to the entire 37-year-old Bond movie franchise because he collaborated with 007 author-creator Ian Fleming in translating Bond from books to cinema.
Girardi said he was also pleased by the courts decision not to hold a separate trial on the issue of whether McClory waited too long to sue, regardless of whether there is merit to McClorys claim. The World Is Not Enough opens in theaters Nov. 19. A settlement of McClorys original suit against Fleming in 1963 resulted in McClory getting rights to Thunderball, which was remade as Never Say Never Again in 1983 with original 007 Sean Connery after another court battle. That film was distributed by Warner Bros. A pretrial hearing in the pending lawsuit has been set for Feb. 14.
The plaintiffs of this case, which include Eighteen Leasing, Seventeen Leasing, United Artists Pict, United Artists Corp, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Danjaq LLC appealed last Wednesday for a continuance in the trial which Judge Rafeedie has now granted.
Kevin McClory came to the end of the road March 31, when a federal judge dismissed his claim to a share of profits from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer`s $1 billion James Bond franchise.
McClory was a no-show – apparently U.S. visa problems kept him on the Isle of Man – but U.S. District Court Judge Edward Rafeedie ruled that McClory had delayed too long in bringing his suit alleging that he is the co-creator with Ian Fleming of the cinematic Bond.
Rafeedie then dismissed the case on the ground of laches – a legal term for excessive delay – without proceeding to a jury trial on McClory`s copyright claims.
MGM attorney Pierce O`Donnell said the ruling was “a total vindication” for the studio. McClory`s attorneys declined comment.
Briefly outlining the 40-year history of Bond litigation, Rafeedie pointed out that there have been at least three major lawsuits involving McClory and the Bond rights, but that it was not until 1997 that McClory alleged he was the co-owner of the Bond character.
In 1997, Sony announced it had purchased McClory`s Bond rights and would use them as the basis for a competing Bond franchise. MGM promptly sued, and that phase of the case ended in March 1999 with a settlement that put Sony out of the Bond business. But McClory vowed to press on, and the current trial is the tail end of MGM`s suit against Sony.
Rafeedie found last week that McClory had delayed at least 36 years in bringing his claim of Bond ownership despite numerous opportunities to do so.
Rafeedie also found that MGM and the other defendants had been”prejudiced” (damaged) by the delay because virtually all the witnesses who could “potentially help untangle McClory`s web of allegations and intrigue are long dead.”
The lengthy list included Fleming himself; Richard Maibaum, the original Bond scriptwriter; and producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Rafeedie also noted the severe economic prejudice to MGM and the producer if McClory were now allowed to claim profits. He also found that there was no willful copyright infringement that would overcome a defense of laches.
Is this really the end of the James Bond sideshow?
Although Rafeedie`s ruling seems conclusive, as the expression goes, “Never Say Never Again.”
Who`s in it: No stars are firmly attached, though McClory, in interviews has stated Connery is interested in playing the villian. He`s also expressed an interest in getting Timothy Dalton to play Bond. Thanks to `Peril` and `fotball` for their help.
Who`s directing it: No director has been announced.
Who`s producing: Kevin McClory
Who`s writing it: Presumably Kevin McClory, but expect others to do rewrite duties.
Who`s scoring it: Possible names include John Barry, but that`s very doubtful. The Bond theme is the property of EON and MGM/UA. Barry is unlikely to ever score a Bond picture again if he doesn`t have access to that material.
When will it be released: Never.
Locations covered: Ireland, New York and Australia.
The Path to Warhead 2001 A.D
The James Bond 007 franchise has been the most sucessful movie series of all time, in part because the legal rights have been owned by the same studio and the same family over the years. So how is it that Never Say Never Again and the proposed Warhead 2001 A.D have managed to be made or considered outside the scope of the Broccoli family (the owners of the films rights) or MGM/UA (the studio with distribution rights)?
1959-1965 Back in the late 1950`s, Bond author Ian Fleming began collaborating with screenwriter Kevin McClory. McClory had convinced Fleming, who at the time was trying to adapt his novels into working screenplays, that perhaps the first Bond film should not be based upon one of Fleming`s novels, but instead should be based on a wholly original script. Fleming agreed, and in time they were joined by Jack Whittingham. Several versions of “78 Longtitude West”, which would eventually become the basis of the novelThunderball were developed. The original financing for the film that McClory had hoped for fell through, and this seemed to precipitate the dissolution of the scriptwriting team.
Fleming retreated to Jamaica where he innocently (or not depending upon whose telling the story) took many of the ideas from the discarded “78 Longtitude West” scripts and turned them into his latest novel titled Thunderball. The name Thunderball was based on an old NATO term for stolen nuclear bombs.
Kevin McClory got a copy of Fleming`s work within weeks of it going to press in 1961, and of course was furious. Many of his ideas and collaborations ended up in a novel that he got no credit for. He sought an injuction against the book, but it was too late. So he sued, and ended up settling the case before it went to trial. Included in this judgement were the film (and T.V rights that are in dispute) to Thunderball. But it took nearly 3 years to resolve the suit and by that time Bond was big in both literature and on the screen. McClory shopped his rights around to other studios, but no one wanted to challenge the MGM/UA team, nor it`s ever increasingly popular star, Sean Connery.
McClory finally approached Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, then co-producers of the series, and discussed selling the film rights to Thunderball to them. McClory sold his rights to Thunderball for 20% of the film`s profit, a producer`s credit, and the option to remake Thunderball 10 years after it`s inital release date. Because Thunderball was so huge at the box office (adjusted for inflation, it made the same amount of money as Jurassic Park) McClory became rich and he got to work with top star Sean Connery. He was happy. And both Broccoli and Saltzman were happy, because it seemed like the legal issues were resolved, and neither one imagined that Bond would still be alive and kicking 10 years later. They assumed, wrongly, that Bond mania would have run it`s course by then.
1975- 1983 After the ten year period was up, McClory did begin trying to exercise his option to remake Thunderball. Why is up for debate. Money? Probably. But other things had happened that may have convinced him to strike now while he still could. Obviously he had to wait the ten year period out, but 1974-75 brought changes to the real Bond series that McClory may have felt comfortable trying to exploit. After the failure of The Man With The Golden Gun at the box office, it looked like the 007 series was losing it`s steam and it`s audience. Harry Saltzman sold his half of the series to Albert Broccoli. Broccoli was determined to show that Bond was still viable, and he didn`t need another Bond project interfering and competing with what would eventually become Bond`s comeback.
Broccoli began fighting McClory in court, trying to stop him from producing his version of a Bond film. It was a losing battle. No one could honestly dispute that McClory had the legal right to do Bond, so the best thing Broccoli could hope for was to keep McClory honest. That was a job in itself. Original versions of McClory`s script entitled “James Bond of Her Majestey`s Secret Service” and it`s alternate title “Warhead” strayed too far from the Thunderball premise. Elements in the script included robotic sharks swimming through the sewers of underground Manhattan, and a spectacular climactic fight on top of the Statue of Liberty.
Between 1976 and 1981 McClory shopped his rights around, but to no avail. With the enormous success of both The Spy Who Love Me and Moonraker, no other studio wanted to touch the legal issues nor fight against a proven, revitalized, and rejuvinated box office winner. That is until McClory convinced Sean Connery to return.
Up to this point, Connery had been standoff-ish about returning as Bond. But McClory gave Connery script duties, as well as producers credit on the film. With job duties involving more than simply starring, Connery`s interest was peaked and soon the ball got rolling on what would become Never Say Never Again.
1983 to the present Never Say Never Again hit U.S. theaters in 1983 and was a moderate success. Octopussy, on the other hand, came out several months beforehand and was an unqualified smash. Still, the news was that Connery was back, and no one seemed to mind the decidedly lackluster results in `Never`. The film did well enough in America and overseas to get McClory talking about about making more films. But that`s all it`s been. Just talk.
For all of McClory`s latest manueverings and deep pocket backing (Sony), his strategy seems to be the same as it always has been; to essentially push the envelope and test EON`s resolve to protect it`s assests. The feud goes back as long as many Bond fans have been around, and after you read McClory`s press release from July 20th, 1989, you`ll understand that there is bitter hatred between the two camps, personal egos in play, and a war in progress.
Though the war traces it`s roots back to the late 1950`s, we`re dipping into the archives of the mid-1980`s onward with articles and advertisements from both sides that show nothing McClory is trying now is really anything new. Starting with the February 15th, 1984 issue of Variety, McClory set off a new round of acrimony by announcing the following:
Paradise Film Productions III
anounces a
series of
James Bond
Productions
Commencing
with
“S.P.E.C.T.R.E”
(Special Executive for Counter Intelligence, Terrorism and Extortion)
An important announcement
will be made shortly.
Overseas Enqueries:
Kevin McClory
(Producers, Thunderball, Executive Producer “Never Say Never Again”)
Apparently, flush with pride from the fairly successful Never Say Never Again, McClory decided to try and “license or sell certain James Bond properties including “SPECTRE”. In the Wednesday, May 9th edition of Variety, McClory took out another full page ad, this time proclaiming:
Paradise Film Productions III
Have Acquired The Right
To License or Sell Certain
James Bond
Properties
Including
“SPECTRE”
Special Executive For Counter Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion
Bids Will Be Considered Shortly
Nothing much happened on the McClory front until February of 1988. This time McClory took out another Variety ad dated February 10th, 1988 and stated the following:
The Organization
S.P.E.C.T.R.E
With It`s Chairman
Ernst Stavros Blofeld
Unique
to the JAMES BOND novel
“THUNDERBALL”
(Published in 1961)
“THUNDERBALL” was based on “Film Scripts” written
by
Kevin McClory
Jack Whittingham
& Ian Fleming
Prior to June 4th 1960
NOTE: The Organization SPECTRE was used as Bond`s adversaries in several of the James Bond films which were based on novels in which the Organization SPECTRE did not exist; including the first two films in the series, DR. NO [1962], FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE [1963]
THE SPECTRE CORPORATION HAS ACQUIRED THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO OFFER LICENSES TO MAKE
JAMES BOND
VS.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E
ANIMATED FILMS
United Artists immediately followed that announcement up with one of their own: a warning What follows is a Spring and Summer full of ads placed in Variety, with each side touting that they have the rights the other side is claiming to possess. To view a copy of United Artists own counterclaim in Variety, click here for Warning Page One and here for Warning Page Two.
The following month of April found McClory returning fire against United Artists, calling them “Economical With The Truth!”. To read his ad in Varitey, click here for “Economical With The Truth Part One” and here for Part Two
But that wasn`t the end of it. During that Spring and Summer, McClory would issue three more warnings all saying pretty much the same thing. On August 3rd, 1988 he issued a new ad in Variety: “PIRACY” which will be displayed in the future. In the ad he warns UA, Danjaq and Broccoli they have no right to Blofeld or SPECTRE. He also reasserted his desire to create an animated Bond film. That led to nothing on his part because EON was able to squash the whole plan of McClory`s. It did lead to James Bond Jr though, an 60+ episode that featured James Bond`s nephew. The cartoon was meant as more of a counter point to McClory`s project than anything else, and helped to diminish the value of any future McClory animated projects.
With his planned projects alternatively titled SPECTRE vs. JAMES BOND, and WARHEAD 8 dead in the water, and angry over “The New Official James Bond Book” released in 1989 that seemed to ignore Kevin, McClory released a lengthy press report stating his side of the facts In it he describes, and possibly exaggerates ???? his contribution to the Bond series. At one point he refers to himself and Jack Whittingham thusly : “McClory and Whittingham were originators, not interlopers”. He also alludes to being at the “Conception of the Literary Evolution of the James Bond films”.
Click here for Press Release Page One, Page Two, Page Three, Page Four, Page Five, Page Six, and Page Seven. It would appear Kevin McClory has made more of his contribution to the legacy of James Bond than his contribution merits. The language in the press release issued nearly 9 years ago is very similar to the language used today. Same tactics. Same strategy. Same angles. It seems like the only ones who are getting rich off this feud are the lawyers and Variety.
But will Warhead 2001 A.D. really happen? Should it even be allowed to happen? Please read our commentary, pro and con, and decide for yourself.
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