ReBONDing: Never Say Never Again
Reevaluating the Sean Connery Era (1962 - 1971, 1983) NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983) Directed by Irvin Kershner Written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr., Dick Clement (uncredited), Ian La Frenais (uncredited) Based On An Original Story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, Ian Fleming Running Time: 134 minutes Since I never provided an original verdict and score for Never Say Never Again , I'll share some backstory of how this film ever happened in the first place. In 1958, Ian Fleming approached film producer Kevin McClory to help develop and produce the first James Bond motion picture. McClory didn't feel that any of Fleming's novels were very adaptable but knew that the James Bond character would translate well onto film. McClory, with the help of screenwriter Jack Whittingham, developed the new James Bond character through several treatments and screenplays resulting in Thunderball . In the two years it took to produce the film, Eon Productions swooped in and purchased