Never Say Never Again -james Bond 007- -

It’s not a perfect film—the pacing drags in the middle—but it feels more like From Russia With Love than Moonraker ever did. If you haven't watched it in a while, give it a shot. It’s Connery’s "Logan" moment before we knew what that was.

By the late 1970s, McClory decided to exercise that right. Simultaneously, Sean Connery—who had famously sworn he would “never again” play James Bond after the exhausting shoot of You Only Live Twice (1967) and the disastrous The Shaws of Kilbride fiasco—was offered a king’s ransom. The offer was a staggering $5 million (over $15 million today) plus a percentage of the gross, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at the time. Never Say Never Again -James Bond 007-

Released in 1983, Never Say Never Again remains one of the most fascinating entries in the James Bond series—not because it broke the mold, but because it exists as a "rogue" alternative to the official Eon Productions franchise. It marked the triumphant, final return of Sean Connery to the role of 007 after a 12-year hiatus, effectively competing against Roger Moore’s Octopussy in what the media dubbed the "Battle of the Bonds". The Context: A Legal Loophole Return It’s not a perfect film—the pacing drags in

The script leaned into Connery's age (52 at the time), portraying an aging 007 who is deemed "past his prime" by a new, bureaucratic By the late 1970s, McClory decided to exercise that right

: Irvin Kershner, who had previously directed The Empire Strikes Back .