Book review
Written by Robert Sellers
Tomahawk paperback (www.tomahawkpress.com)
Release date Out now

Ever wondered why Thunderball and Never Say Never Again are practically the same film? Or why ownership of the Bond property has been in constant dispute over the years? Then this intricate account of the bitter history of 007’s screen career is for you…

In the late 1950s Ian Fleming was being actively pursued by aspiring producers for the rights to make his best selling Bond novels into movies. Unsure as to whether the stories were cinematic enough, he worked with a young producer/writer/director called Kevin McClory to come up with an especially movie-worthy script. Despite addressing his co-writer as “The only man who can produce a James Bond film”, Fleming went on to drop McClory and produced Thunderball as a novel, claiming sole authorship.

A meticulously detailed account of what slowly emerges as a rather unpleasant discourse on greed and betrayal, Seller’s narrative covers many intriguing sidesteps in the Bond saga, such as the aborted attempt to make yet another version of the story, Warhead, in the late 1970s and McClory’s bonkers idea to make his own series of Bond movies to be released in alternate years to Eon’s movies.

The making of Thunderball is covered, as is the turbulent shoot of Never Say Never Again. Although Sellers never speaks to the key players - Connery is very much the absent centre here and the heavy hitters like Fleming and McClory have passed away - many of those who were there at the time offer their opinions and insightful views.

The book comes with a fantastic selection of rare images, though inexplicably they include many photos of Sylvan, another co-writer’s daughter who plays a very small role in the story. But this is a minor blip in an important book that answers many crucial questions in the history of a popular modern icon. Ultimately it emerges that, in the Battle for Bond, there were no real winners. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 8/10
A heartbreaking account of 007’s journey to the silver screen.