Editing Never Say Never Again (section)

==Production==
''Never Say Never Again'' had its origins in the early 1960s, following the [[Thunderball (novel)#Writing and copyright|controversy over the 1961 ''Thunderball'' novel]].{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=213}} Fleming had worked with independent producer Kevin McClory and scriptwriter Jack Whittingham on a script for a potential Bond film, to be called ''Longitude 78 West'',<ref name="Poliakoff (2000)"/> which was subsequently abandoned because of the costs involved.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=226}} Fleming, "always reluctant to let a good idea lie idle",{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=226}} turned this into the novel ''Thunderball'', for which he did not credit either McClory or Whittingham;{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=198}} McClory then took Fleming to the [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] in London for breach of copyright,{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=199}} and the matter was settled in 1963.<ref name="Poliakoff (2000)">{{cite journal|last=Poliakoff |first=Keith |title=License to Copyright – The Ongoing Dispute Over the Ownership of James Bond |journal=Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal |publisher=[[Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law]] |year=2000 |volume=18 |pages=387–436 |url=http://www.cardozoaelj.net/issues/00/Poliakoff.pdf |access-date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161856/http://www.cardozoaelj.net/issues/00/Poliakoff.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2012 }}</ref> After [[Eon Productions]] started producing the Bond films, it subsequently made a deal with McClory, who would produce ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'', and then not make any further version of the novel for a period of ten years, following the release of the Eon-produced version in 1965.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}}

In the mid-1970s, McClory again started working on a second adaptation of ''Thunderball'' and, with the working title ''Warhead'', he brought writer [[Len Deighton]] together with Sean Connery to work on a script.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}} A lawsuit with Eon Productions ended in a ruling that McClory owned the sole rights to SPECTRE and Blofeld, forcing Eon to remove them from ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977).<ref name=":1" /> The script initially focused on SPECTRE shooting down aircraft over the [[Bermuda Triangle]], before taking over [[Liberty Island]] and [[Ellis Island]] as staging areas for an invasion of [[New York City]] through the sewers under [[Wall Street]]. The script was purchased by [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1978.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Field|first=Matthew|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/930556527|title=Some kind of hero : 007 : the remarkable story of the James Bond films|date=2015|others=Ajay Chowdhury|isbn=978-0-7509-6421-0|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|oclc=930556527|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128234516/https://www.worldcat.org/title/some-kind-of-hero-007-the-remarkable-story-of-the-james-bond-films/oclc/930556527|url-status=live}}</ref> The script ran into difficulties, after accusations from [[Danjaq]] and [[United Artists]] that the project had gone beyond copyright restrictions, which confined McClory to a film based only on the novel ''Thunderball''; once again, the project was delayed.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}}

Towards the end of the 1970s, developments were reported on the project under the name ''James Bond of the Secret Service'',{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}} but when producer [[Jack Schwartzman]] became involved in 1980, and cleared a number of the legal issues that still surrounded the project,<ref name=":1" />{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=213}} he decided against using Deighton's script. The project returned to the original nuclear terrorism plot of the original ''Thunderball'', in order to avoid another lawsuit from Danjaq, and after McClory saw [[Jimmy Carter]] mention the issue in a [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential debate]] with [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref name=":2" /> Schwartzman brought on board scriptwriter [[Lorenzo Semple, Jr.]]{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} to work on the screenplay. Schwartzman wanted him to make the screenplay "somewhere in the middle" between his campier projects such as [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'']], and his more serious projects such as ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]''.<ref name=":1" /> Connery was unhappy with some aspects of the script, and asked [[Tom Mankiewicz]], who had rewritten ''Diamonds Are Forever'', to work on it; however, Mankiewicz declined, as he felt he was under a moral obligation to [[Albert R. Broccoli]].{{sfn|Mankiewicz|Crane|2012|p=150}} Semple Jr. ultimately left the project, after Irvin Kershner was hired as director, and Schwartzman began cutting out the "big numbers" from his script to save on the budget.<ref name=":1" /> Connery then hired British television writers [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]]<ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=La Frenais, Ian (1936–) and Clement, Dick (1937–)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462850/credits.html|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=3 September 2011|archive-date=4 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804182531/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462850/credits.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to undertake re-writes, although they went uncredited for their efforts, despite much of the final shooting script being theirs. This was because of a restriction by the [[Writers Guild of America]].{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} Clement and La Frenais continued rewriting during the production, often altering it from day to day.<ref name=":1" />

The film underwent one final change in title: after Connery had finished filming ''Diamonds Are Forever'', he had pledged that he would "never again" play Bond.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}} Connery's wife, Micheline, suggested the title ''Never Say Never Again'', referring to her husband's vow,<ref>{{cite news|last=Dick|first=Sandra|title=Eighty big facts you must know about Big Tam|newspaper=[[Edinburgh Evening News]]|date=25 August 2010|page=20}}</ref> and the producers acknowledged her contribution by listing on the end credits "Title ''Never Say Never Again'' by Micheline Connery". A final attempt by Fleming's trustees to block the film was made in the High Court in London in the spring of 1983, but this was thrown out by the court and ''Never Say Never Again'' was permitted to proceed.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=185}}

===Cast and crew===
When producer Kevin McClory had first planned the film in 1964, he held initial talks with [[Richard Burton]] for the part of Bond,<ref>{{cite news|title=A Rival 007 – It Looks Like Burton|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=21 February 1964|page=13}}</ref> although the project came to nothing because of the legal issues involved. When the ''Warhead'' project was launched in the late 1970s, a number of actors were mentioned in the trade press, including [[Orson Welles]] for the part of Blofeld, [[Trevor Howard]] to play M and [[Richard Attenborough]] as director.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}}

In 1978, the working title ''James Bond of the Secret Service'' was being used and Connery was in the frame once again, potentially going head-to-head with the next Eon Bond film, ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Victor|title=Bond versus Bond|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=29 July 1978|page=4}}</ref> By 1980, with legal issues again causing the project to founder,{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=153}} Connery thought himself unlikely to play the role, as he stated in an interview in the ''[[Sunday Express]]'': "When I first worked on the script with Len I had no thought of actually being in the film."<ref name="Mann (1980)">{{cite news|last=Mann|first=Roderick|title=Why Sean won't now be back as 007&nbsp;...|newspaper=[[Sunday Express]]|date=23 March 1980|page=23}}</ref> When producer Jack Schwartzman became involved, he asked Connery to play Bond; Connery agreed, negotiating a fee of $3 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3|1983}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US|df=y}}), casting and script approval, and a percentage of the profits.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=154}} Subsequent to Connery reprising the role, Semple altered the script to include several references to Bond's advancing years – playing on Connery being 52 at the time of filming{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=154}} – and academic Jeremy Black has pointed out that there are other aspects of age and disillusionment in the film, such as the Shrubland's porter referring to Bond's car ("They don't make them like that anymore"), the new M having no use for the 00 section and Q with his reduced budgets.{{sfn|Black|2004|p=58}}  Originally, Semple wanted to emphasize Bond's age even further, writing the script to include him in semi-retirement working aboard a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[fishing trawler]] hunting [[Soviet Navy]] [[submarine]]s in the [[North Sea]].<ref name=":1" /> Connery's casting was formally announced in March 1983.{{Dubious|date=February 2024}}. He trained with [[Steven Seagal]] to help get in shape for the production.<ref name=":1" />

For the main villain in the film, Maximillian Largo, Connery suggested Klaus Maria Brandauer, the lead of the 1981 [[Academy Award]]-winning Hungarian film ''[[Mephisto (1981 film)|Mephisto]]''.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Through the same route came [[Max von Sydow]] as Ernst Stavro Blofeld,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=195}} although he still retained his Eon-originated white cat in the film.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=135}} For the [[femme fatale]], director Irvin Kershner selected former model and ''[[Playboy]]'' cover girl [[Barbara Carrera]] to play Fatima Blush – the name coming from one of the early scripts of ''Thunderball''.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} Carrera said she modeled her performance on the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] goddess [[Kali]], and to "mix that in with a little bit of [[Latrodectus|black widow]] and a little bit of [[Mantis|praying mantis]]."<ref name=":1" /> Carrera's performance as Fatima Blush earned her a [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Barbara Carrera|url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/28374|work=Official [[Golden Globe Award]] Website|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|access-date=2 September 2011|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175659/http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/28374|url-status=live}}</ref> which she lost to [[Cher]] for her role in ''[[Silkwood]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture|url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/year/1983|work=Official [[Golden Globe Award]] Website|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|access-date=3 September 2011|archive-date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009002346/http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=%2Fyear%2F1983|url-status=live}}</ref>
Micheline Connery, Sean's wife, had met up-and-coming actress Kim Basinger at the [[Grosvenor House Hotel]] in London and suggested her to Connery; he agreed after Dalila Di Lazzaro refused the Domino role. For the role of Felix Leiter, Connery spoke with Bernie Casey, saying that, as the Leiter role was never remembered by audiences, using a black Leiter might make him more memorable.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Others cast included comedian [[Rowan Atkinson]], who would later parody Bond in his role of [[Johnny English]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title=Johnny English|url=http://plrcatalogue.pearson.com/Samples/PRFS_058277957X.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030162248/http://plrcatalogue.pearson.com/Samples/PRFS_058277957X.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 October 2006|work=Penguin Readers Factsheets|access-date=5 September 2011|year=2003}}</ref> Atkinson's character was added by Clement and La Frenais after the production had already started, in order to provide the film with a comic relief.<ref name=":1" /> Edward Fox was cast as M in order to portray the character as a young technocrat in contrast to the older portrayal by [[Bernard Lee]], and to parody the [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] ministry's budget cuts to government services.<ref name=":1" />

Connery wanted to persuade [[Richard Donner]] to direct the film, but after their meeting, Donner decided he disliked the script.<ref name=":1" /> Former Eon Productions' editor and director of ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'', [[Peter R. Hunt]], was approached to direct the film, but declined due to his previous work with Eon.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Director Peter Hunt – "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" |publisher=Retrovision |url=http://retrovisionmag.com/jamesbond.htm |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981206131445/http://www.retrovisionmag.com/jamesbond.htm |archive-date=6 December 1998}}</ref> Irvin Kershner, who had previously worked with Connery on ''[[A Fine Madness]]'' (1966), and had achieved success in 1980 with ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', was then hired. A number of the crew from the 1981 film ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' were also appointed, including first assistant director [[David Tomblin]], [[Cinematographer|director of photography]] [[Douglas Slocombe]], second unit director [[Mickey Moore]] and [[production designer]]s Philip Harrison and [[Stephen B. Grimes|Stephen Grimes]].{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=197}}

===Filming===
[[File:Kingdom 5KR.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''[[Kingdom 5KR]]'' which acted as Largo's ship, the ''Flying Saucer''|alt=A large, sleek ship is moored at a quayside]]
Filming for ''Never Say Never Again'' began on 27 September 1982 on the [[French Riviera]] for two months,{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} before moving to [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], the Bahamas in mid-November,{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} where filming took place at Clifton Pier, which was also one of the locations used in ''Thunderball''.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Largo's Palmyran fortress was actually historic [[Fort Carré]] in [[Antibes]].{{sfn|Reeves|2001|p=134}} Largo's ship, the ''Flying Saucer'', was portrayed by the yacht ''[[Kingdom 5KR]]'', then owned by Saudi billionaire [[Adnan Khashoggi]] and called ''Nabila''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Salmans|first=Sandra|title=Lavish Lifestyle of a Wheeler-Dealer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/lavish-lifestyle-of-a-wheeler-dealer.html?scp=1&sq=Khashoggi%20%20%20%22never%20say%20never%20again%22&st=cse|access-date=6 September 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 February 1985|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306064227/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/lavish-lifestyle-of-a-wheeler-dealer.html?scp=1&sq=Khashoggi%20%20%20%22never%20say%20never%20again%22&st=cse|url-status=live}}</ref> The underwater scenes were filmed by [[Ricou Browning]], who had coordinated the underwater scenes in the original ''Thunderball''.<ref name=":1" /> Principal photography finished at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]], where interior shots were filmed.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Elstree also housed the Tears of Allah underwater cavern, which took three months to construct, while the Shrublands health spa was filmed at [[Luton Hoo]].{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}<ref name=":1" /> Most of the filming was completed in the spring of 1983, although there was some additional shooting during the summer of 1983.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}}

Production on the film was troubled,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=199}} with Connery taking on many of the production duties with assistant director David Tomblin.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Director Irvin Kershner was critical of producer Jack Schwartzman, saying that, while he was a good businessman, "he didn't have the experience of a film producer".{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} After the production ran out of money, Schwartzman had to fund further production out of his own pocket, and later admitted he had underestimated the amount the film would cost to make.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=199}} There was tension on set between Schwartzman and Connery, who at times barely spoke to each other. Connery was unimpressed with the perceived lack of professionalism behind the scenes, and was on record as saying that the whole production was a "bloody [[Mickey Mouse]] operation!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.007magazine.co.uk/battle_for_bond4.htm|title=JAMES BOND 007 MAGAZINE {{!}} THE BATTLE FOR BOND|website=007magazine.co.uk|access-date=2019-07-09|archive-date=13 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022006/http://www.007magazine.co.uk/battle_for_bond4.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Steven Seagal]], who was a martial arts instructor for this film, broke Connery's wrist while training. On an episode of ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', Connery revealed he did not know his wrist was broken until over a decade later.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/did-steven-seagal-really-break-sean-connerys-wrist-with-aikido/ |title=Did Steven Seagal Break Sean Connery's Wrist with Aikido? |author=Kurchak, Sarah |magazine=[[Vice.com]] |date=12 October 2015 |access-date=24 November 2015 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125014426/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/did-steven-seagal-really-break-sean-connerys-wrist-with-aikido |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Music===
[[James Horner]] was both Kershner's and Schwartzman's first choice to compose the score, after they were impressed with his work on ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]''. Horner, who worked in London for most of the time, was unavailable, according to Kershner, though Schwartzman later claimed Sean Connery vetoed him. Frequent Bond composer [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] was invited, but declined out of loyalty to Eon.<ref>Jon Burlingame, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wQE2RmHrErcC&dq=james+horner+never+say+never+again+007&pg=PT174 ''The Music of James Bond''], p. 162, 172, 174. {{ISBN|978-0-19-935885-4}}</ref> The music for ''Never Say Never Again'' was ultimately written by [[Michel Legrand]], who composed a score similar to his work as a [[Jazz piano|jazz pianist]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Film Score Monthly]]|url=http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2006/21_Dec---Bond_Back_In_Action_Again_Part_Two.asp|last=Bettencourt|first=Scott|title=Bond Back in Action Again|year=1998|access-date=20 September 2011|archive-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330080801/http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2006/21_Dec---Bond_Back_In_Action_Again_Part_Two.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> The score has been criticised as "anachronistic and misjudged",{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} "bizarrely intermittent"{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=197}} and "the most disappointing feature of the film".{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Legrand also wrote the main theme "Never Say Never Again", which featured lyrics by [[Alan and Marilyn Bergman]] — who had also worked with Legrand on the Academy Award-winning song "[[The Windmills of Your Mind]]"<ref name="Oscar 1968">{{cite news|title=The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again "Academy Awards Database"|work=Chicago Tribune|date=7 October 1983|page=63|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=23 February 2021|archive-date=12 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412012955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/|url-status=live}}</ref> — and was performed by [[Lani Hall]]{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} after [[Bonnie Tyler]], who disliked the song, had reluctantly declined.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edrants.com/the-bat-segundo-show-bonnie-tyler/|title=The Bat Segundo Show: Bonnie Tyler|date=12 September 2008|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711224807/http://www.edrants.com/the-bat-segundo-show-bonnie-tyler/|url-status=live}} Tyler also discusses this in the documentary ''James Bond's Greatest Hits''.</ref>

[[Phyllis Hyman]] also recorded a potential theme song, with music written by Stephen Forsyth and lyrics by Jim Ryan, but the song — an unsolicited submission — was passed over, given Legrand's contractual obligations with the music.{{sfn|Burlingame|2012|p=112}}

===Legal substitutions===
[[File:Never Say Never Again 0001.jpg|thumb|right|This 007 motif takes the place of [[Eon Productions|Eon's]] [[gun barrel sequence]].| alt=The outlines of row upon row of "007 007 007 007 007" fill the screen. A view of countryside, heavily obstructed can be seen in through the gaps.]]
Many of the elements of the Eon-produced Bond films were not present in ''Never Say Never Again'' for legal reasons. These included the [[gun barrel sequence]], where a screen full of 007 symbols appeared instead, and similarly there was no "[[James Bond Theme]]" to use, although no effort was made to supply another tune.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} A pre-credits sequence was filmed but not used;{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=193}} instead, the film opens with the credits running over the top of the sequence of Bond on a training mission.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}