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Following a high-profile case in the UK High Court in late 1963, Irish filmmaker Kevin McClory acquired the screen rights to Ian Fleming's THUNDERBALL, and immediately made plans to produce a film based on the ninth James Bond novel. Following the success of the first three EON Productions James Bond films, American producer Charles K. Feldman, who had owned the screen rights to CASINO ROYALE since 1960, also planned to film Ian Fleming's debut novel. Unable to come to an agreement with Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman to make it as an official entry in the EON Productions series, Feldman went ahead and made Casino Royale a spoof version along the lines of his previous success What’s New Pussycat? (1965). Rather than have another rival James Bond film threatening their success, Broccoli & Saltzman reluctantly went into partnership with Kevin McClory, who served as sole producer on Thunderball (1965). As part of the licensing agreement Kevin McClory was not permitted to exercise his rights to the THUNDERBALL property for 10 years, but as soon as the contractual exclusion between himself and EON Productions had expired, McClory once again announced plans to make another film based on the story he had co-written with Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham. Kevin McClory teamed up with author Len Deighton and Sean Connery in 1975, and after many legal battles and a troubled production, the film eventually reached the screen as Never Say Never Again in 1983, with McClory serving as Executive Producer. In 1999 EON Productions finally secured the rights to Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel CASINO ROYALE. Following Kevin McClory's death in 2006, his THUNDERBALL rights were acquired by EON Productions in 2013.

In 1975 Harry Saltzman’s personal financial difficulties had forced him to sell his share of the James Bond franchise to United Artists, and Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli then became the sole producer of the film series. Joining him on The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as ‘Special Assistant’ was his stepson Michael G. Wilson, who progressed to Executive Producer and Co-Screenwriter on the James Bond films of the 1980s. Barbara Broccoli joined her father and half-brother as an Executive Assistant on Octopussy in 1983, and later became an Associate Producer on the two Timothy Dalton James Bond films, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence To Kill (1989). After a six year hiatus as a result of legal battles with MGM/UA, Albert R. Broccoli handed over the production of the James Bond films to his children in 1994. Following Broccoli's death in 1996, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) [and all subsequent films in the series] bore the opening credit ‘Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions presents’. Michael G. Wilson's youngest son Gregg joined the series in 1999 and progressed to Associate Producer on the last three Daniel Craig films, with the James Bond actor himself serving as Co-Producer on Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021). On February 20, 2025 it was announced that Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Amazon MGM Studios had formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. Under the terms of the new venture, Amazon MGM Studios gained creative control of the James Bond franchise.

Since 1977 there have also been four other Associate Producers on the James Bond films: William P. Cartlidge joined the series as Assistant Director to Lewis Gilbert on You Only Live Twice (1967). When Gilbert returned for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979), his long-time collaborator Bill Cartlidge became Associate Producer. Thomas Pevsner was Associate Producer on the 1980s James Bond films, returning as Executive Producer on GoldenEye (1995). Anthony Waye joined the series as an Assistant Director on For Your Eyes Only (1981) – and later Associate/Executive Producer, finally serving as location production manager on Skyfall (2012). Similarly, Callum McDougall progressed from Assistant Director on the two Timothy Dalton James Bond films, becoming Executive Producer on four Daniel Craig films 2006-2015.

Also Associate Producer
Goldeneye (1989) Anglia Television
Directed by Don Boyd (1948- )
Written by Reg Gadney (1941-2018)
 [based on The Life of Ian Fleming
by John Pearson]
Starring Charles Dance as Ian Fleming

DIRECTORS

Terence Young (1915-1994)

Dr. No (1962)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Thunderball (1965)

Lewis Gilbert (1920-2018)

You Only Live Twice (1967)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)

Having edited the first four films in the EON Productions series, and acting as supervising editor and second unit director on You Only Live Twice (1967), Peter Hunt was promoted to director for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), which starred newcomer George Lazenby as James Bond. Eschewing the gadgetry and gimmicks of the first five films, On Her Majesty's Secret Service stuck closely to Ian Fleming's source novel, and whilst not as commercially successful as its predecessors, has since become regarded as one of the best films of the series. Despite the mixed reception on its release in 1969, On Her Majesty's Secret Service remains a high point of the EON Productions series, and proved that the films could continue without the star who had made them so popular. However, financier and distributor United Artists had other opinions, and after George Lazenby had announced that On Her Majesty's Secret Service would be his only film as 007, they were convinced that only one man could guarantee a box-office hit, and made an unprecedented deal with Sean Connery for a return to the role that had made him a star. Also returning for Diamonds Are Forever (1971) was director Guy Hamilton, who stayed with the series for the next two films and introduced the world to its third big screen James Bond, Roger Moore.

For The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979), Lewis Gilbert returned as director, and with Roger Moore took the series to new heights of outlandish success. The James Bond films of the 1980s were then all directed by John Glen, who had also worked his way up the ranks from Editor and Second Unit director. Glen consolidated Roger Moore's success as 007, and introduced a new actor to the role with Timothy Dalton in 1987, but his second film, Licence To Kill (1989), suffered at the box-office as the series tried hard to compete with the new wave of more violent US blockbusters. Following the release of Licence To Kill the James Bond series went into an enforced hiatus as ongoing legal battles between DANJAQ and MGM/UA prevented EON Productions from making any further films.

Peter Hunt (1925-2002)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
[Also appears as a reflection in the
Universal Exports sign seen as the
first shot in the film after the traditional
gun barrel opening sequence]

Dr. No (1962)
Editor
From Russia With Love (1963)
Editor
Goldfinger (1964)
Editor
Thunderball (1965)
Supervising Editor
You Only Live Twice (1967)
2nd Unit Director & Supervising Editor

Martin Campbell (1943- )

GoldenEye (1995)
Casino Royale (2006)
 

The legal proceedings were not fully resolved until 1993, by which time actor Timothy Dalton's original seven-year contract had expired. Although keen to complete a third James Bond film, Timothy Dalton declined to sign another multi-picture contract, and ultimately announced his resignation from the role of James Bond on April 12, 1994. Pierce Brosnan was then revealed as his replacement on June 8, 1994 – after losing the role to Dalton in 1986. With production duties now in the hands of his children, Albert R. Broccoli stepped back and a new team steered the franchise to even greater heights into the new millennium. Overseeing the introduction of a new James Bond was former British television director Martin Campbell, who declined to continue with the series although he was offered the opportunity to direct further James Bond films after GoldenEye (1995). Pierce Brosnan's next three James Bond films each had a new director at the helm, and were all commercially very successful, despite the different styles each director brought to their own production.

Pierce Brosnan's fourth James Bond film, Die Another Day (2002), was the most successful to date, but in the wake of critical response to the production, Co-Producers Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli decided that a new direction was needed. With their acquisition of the rights to CASINO ROYALE in 2003, it was felt that the time was right to finally bring Ian Fleming's debut novel, and the origin story of James Bond, to the big screen – with a new actor for a new generation. Martin Campbell agreed to return as director, after successfully introducing a new 007 in 1995, and actor Daniel Craig was controversially announced as the new James Bond on October 14, 2005. Despite the constant media attention and negative press throughout the production of Casino Royale, when the film was released on November 14, 2006, most critics and fans were wowed by the film, which marked a return to the series’ literary roots, and a more grounded hero that built on the foundations laid by George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton. Its follow-up, Quantum of Solace (2008), was directed by German-born Marc Forster, and marked a conspicuous shift in style from its predecessor. The film consolidated Daniel Craig's presence as the new James Bond – but it would be another four years until the next entry in the series.

Directed by multi award-winning Sam Mendes, whose involvement undoubtedly elevated the status of the franchise, Skyfall (2012) benefited greatly from being released in the year that marked the Diamond Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, and the Summer Olympics held in London. With the country already in the grip of national patriotism on a scale not seen since the end of World War II, Skyfall went on to take over $1-billion at the international box-office, becoming the most financially successful film of the franchise (when not adjusted for inflation). Following the acquisition of the rights to SPECTRE from Kevin McClory's estate in 2013, it was inevitable that the crime organisation and its leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, would now be re-introduced to the James Bond universe. Sam Mendes returned to direct Spectre (2015) – the first director to oversee two back-to-back productions since John Glen. Originally slated to be directed by Academy Award-winning British film maker Danny Boyle, BOND 25 was announced in May 2018, but within three months Boyle and EON Productions agreed to part company due to creative differences. American Cary Joji Fukunaga was then brought on board to direct and the release date was pushed forward on two occasions. Filming got underway in March 2019, and a press conference was held at Ian Fleming's former home ‘Goldeneye’ in Jamaica on April 25, 2019.

SCREENWRITERS

Richard Maibaum (1909-1991)

Dr. No (1962)
Screenplay
[with Johanna Harwood & Berkely Mather]
From Russia With Love (1963)
Screenplay
[adapted by Johanna Harwood]
Goldfinger (1964)
Screenplay
[with Paul Dehn]
Thunderball (1965)
Screenplay
[with John Hopkins]
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Screenplay
[additional dialogue
Simon Raven (1927-2001)]
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Screenplay
[with Tom Mankiewicz]
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
Screenplay
[with Tom Mankiewicz]
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Screenplay
[with Christopher Wood]
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Screenplay
[with Michael G. Wilson]
Octopussy (1983)
Screenplay
[with Michael G. Wilson &
George MacDonald Fraser]
A View To A Kill (1985)
Screenplay
[with Michael G. Wilson]
The Living Daylights (1987)
Screenplay
[with Michael G. Wilson]
Licence To Kill (1989)
Written by
[with Michael G. Wilson]

Johanna Harwood (1930- )

Dr. No (1962)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum & Berkely Mather]
From Russia With Love (1963)
[adapted by Johanna Harwood]

Johanna Harwood was also the first
author to write a James Bond pastiche.

Written in the style of Ian Fleming,
Some Are Born Great was first published
in the 3 September 1959 issue of
Nursery World magazine, then later
reprinted in the Spring 1960 issue of publisher Jonathan Cape's in-house magazine Now & Then.

Berkely Mather (1909-1996)
[John Evan ‘Jasper’ Weston-Davies]

Dr. No (1962)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum & Johanna Harwood]
From Russia With Love (1963)
Screenplay
[Uncredited]
Goldfinger (1964)
Screenplay (2nd draft)
[Uncredited]

After collaborating on a handful of Warwick film productions for Albert R. Broccoli in the late 1950s, American Screenwriter Richard Maibaum was the natural choice to write the script for the first James Bond film. Although Maibaum had originally written a draft screenplay for THUNDERBALL in 1961, this was barely recognisable as being in the same style of James Bond scripts that would follow. From the very beginning the writing of the screenplays was a collaborative effort, and several writers contributed drafts for Dr. No (1962), including Wolf Mankowitz and another of Harry Saltzman's frequent associates, Johanna Harwood, who would also adapt From Russia With Love (1963) for the screen. British novelist Berkely Mather also made significant contributions to the screenplays of the first three James Bond films, although he was only credited for Dr. No (1962). For the second James Bond film, Harry Saltzman secured the services of British novelist Len Deighton, author of The Ipcress File (1962) and seven further novels featuring the un-named protagonist who became ‘Harry Palmer’ in the three films produced by Saltzman in the 1960s, all starring Michael Caine. Len Deighton wrote a draft screenplay for From Russia With Love (1963) after he had accompanied Harry Saltzman, Director Terence Young and Art Director Syd Cain on a trip to Istanbul to scout locations in December 1962. After Deighton's draft was rejected, Richard Maibaum returned to script From Russia With Love (1963), which in turn was further revised by Director Terence Young.

Paul Dehn (1912-1976)

Goldfinger (1964)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]

Jack Whittingham (1910-1972)

Thunderball (1965)
[based on a screenplay
by Jack Whittingham]
(based on the original story by
Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham
and Ian Fleming)

Collaborating with Richard Maibaum on the screenplay for Goldfinger (1964) was English writer Paul Dehn, who was known to Ian Fleming via their exploits in the Special Operations Executive during WWII. When Thunderball was chosen as the fourth James Bond film over the originally announced On Her Majesty's Secret Service, a new script was written by Richard Maibaum, who this time collaborated with English film, stage, and television writer John Hopkins, whose 1968 play This Story of Yours later impressed Sean Connery, who bought the rights and invited Hopkins to adapt the project into a film that was released in 1973 as The Offence. In order to capitalise on the success of the James Bond films in Japan, You Only Live Twice became the fifth entry in the EON Productions series, and the proposed On Her Majesty's Secret Service shelved again, although Richard Maibaum had begun work on the screenplay. Brought in to script You Only Live Twice was American television producer and screenwriter Harold Jack Bloom, who accompanied the Producers and Production Designer Ken Adam on a location scouting trip to Japan in February 1966. Bloom's submitted draft departed from Ian Fleming's source novel and did not feature Ernst Stavro Blofeld, but did introduce the villain's plans to threaten the Russian and American space programs. Although many of Bloom's ideas reached the screen (and he received an appropriate on-screen credit for his contribution), the Producers hired popular British children's novelist Roald Dahl to write the final screenplay.

Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

You Only Live Twice (1967)
Screenplay
[with Harold Jack Bloom (1924-1999)]
Additional story material
(First & second draft screenplays)

Tom Mankiewicz (1942-2010)

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
Live And Let Die (1973)
Screenplay
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
[uncredited rewrite]
Moonraker (1979)
Story outline [uncredited]

Christopher Wood (1935-2015)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
Moonraker (1979)
Screenplay

Also wrote novelizations of his screenplays JAMES BOND, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) and JAMES BOND AND MOONRAKER (1979)

After being cancelled twice before, On Her Majesty's Secret Service finally reached the screen in 1969, with a screenplay credited solely to Richard Maibaum, who revised his earlier drafts written as early as 1964. Maibaum then expanded on his 1966 draft to bring the final screenplay closer to Ian Fleming's 1963 novel. With the structure in place, Director Peter Hunt brought in English author, playwright, essayist, television writer, and screenwriter Simon Raven to polish the dialogue. Raven's work is most notable in the scenes involving James Bond impersonating Sir Hilary Bray, and the dialogue between Blofeld and Tracy at Piz Gloria, including adapted lines from the 1913 poem The Golden Journey to Samarkand by James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915). With the return of Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Richard Maibaum's original screenplay for the seventh 007 adventure began as a direct sequel to On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with Bond and Marc-Ange Draco seeking revenge for the murder of Tracy. Later drafts deviated even further from Ian Fleming's 1956 novel and featured Auric Goldfinger's twin brother! The return of Sean Connery (after American actor John Gavin had been signed to play James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, and then paid-off) meant that the script also had to meet the actor's approval, and American screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz was engaged to rewrite Maibaum's script. The resulting screenplay marked a change in direction for the series, and the more comedic touches remained in place for the next decade as Mankiewicz successfully updated Ian Fleming's LIVE AND LET DIE (1954) for Roger Moore's debut as James Bond, and then writing The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). Mankiewicz left the production during the scripting stage and the film was rewritten with additional material by Richard Maibaum, who returned to the series after a one film absence. Tom Mankiewicz then made uncredited contributions to the script for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – along with many other writers (including a first draft by British writer Anthony Burgess) as the series reached a turning point following the split between Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli. Burgess was an admirer of Ian Fleming's writing and provided a new preface for the 1988-89 paperback editions of the James Bond novels published by Coronet Books in the UK. English novelist and screenwriter Christopher Wood was brought in by Director Lewis Gilbert to rewrite Richard Maibaum's screenplay for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which led to him becoming the sole credited writer on Moonraker (1979).

Michael G. Wilson (1942- )

For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
Octopussy (1983)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum &
George MacDonald Fraser]
A View To A Kill (1985)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
The Living Daylights (1987)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum]
Licence To Kill (1989)
Written by
[with Richard Maibaum]

George MacDonald Fraser (1925-2008)

Octopussy (1983)
Screenplay
[with Richard Maibaum &
Michael G. Wilson]

Jeffrey Caine (1944- )

GoldenEye (1995)
Screenplay
[with Bruce Feirstein]

Story by & first draft screenplay by
Michael France (1962-2013)
 

After the outer space excesses of Moonraker (1979), the producers returned James Bond to earth with For Your Eyes Only (1981), which had originally been announced as the 11th film in the series at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). For Your Eyes Only had begun with an original script by English novelist and screenwriter Ronald Hardy (1919-1991), but this was rejected and Richard Maibaum returned to write a screenplay that was revised further in collaboration with Michael G. Wilson to incorporate elements and characters from Ian Fleming's short stories FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and RISICO. Wilson then collaborated with Richard Maibaum and Scottish author and screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser [best known for a series of literary works featuring the character of Flashman created by Thomas Hughes (1822–1896) in the semi-autobiographical Tom Brown's School Days (1857)] on the screenplay for Octopussy (1983). Michael G. Wilson continued to collaborate with Richard Maibaum on the screenplays for the next three films in the series, and as a result of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike he wrote much of what was then titled License Revoked on his own, although Maibaum received co-screenwriting credit. Licence To Kill (1989) underperformed at the US box-office, and a legal battle between DANJAQ and MGM/UA prevented EON Productions from making more James Bond films. Richard Maibaum and director John Glen left the series, which then went into a hiatus until 1994 when the legal issues were resolved.

The James Bond film series resumed production in 1994 with GoldenEye, which began with an original storyline and first draft script by American screenwriter Michael France. The final script was jointly credited to Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirstein, who then received solo screenplay credit for Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), after American crime writer Donald Westlake (1933-2008) had worked on two treatments in collaboration with co-producer Michael G. Wilson. Although the Westlake treatment went unused by the Bond filmmakers, the author developed the ideas into a novel, written in 1998 that went unpublished until 2017 – almost a decade after his death. The novel was first published in the USA by Hard Case Crime as Forever And A Death – one of titles Westlake had suggested for the 18th James Bond film.

British screenwriting duo Neal Purvis & Robert Wade joined the series with The World Is Not Enough (1999), and have co-written all remaining James Bond films up to and including No Time To Die (2021). The six Bond films of the new millennium have been an even more collaborative effort between Purvis & Wade and additional American screenwriters, including Paul Haggis, John Logan and English playwright, screenwriter, and film director ‘Jez’ Butterworth. The most recent film, eventually released as No Time To Die (2021), began life with a script by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade that was ultimately abandoned when film director Danny Boyle and his regular writing partner John Hodge became attached to the project in May 2018. Boyle and Hodge left the production in August 2018 due to ‘creative differences’, and Boyle's replacement, American director Cary Joji Fukunaga, joined the project in September 2018. The Purvis & Wade screenplay was resurrected, but rewritten by Fukunaga (among others), with a final script polish from Phoebe Waller-Bridge as production finally got underway in March 2019. Filming wrapped on October 25, 2019 and the publicity machine was set in motion ahead of the scheduled April 2020 release. On March 3, 2020, with the world now in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic, the release of No Time To Die was postponed until November 12, 2020. The release date was subsequently moved to April 2nd, and then October 8, 2021. No Time To Die finally premiered on Tuesday September 28, 2021, at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and has continued to divide critics and fans ever since.

ADDITIONAL NOTABLE SCREENWRITERS

Key personnel on other James Bond films

Casino Royale (1967)

PRODUCTION DESIGNERS & CINEMATOGRAPHERS