1984: Kevin McClory’s SPECTRE

Kevin McClory ad in Variety in 1984.

In 1984, a year after Never Say Never Again had arrived in theaters, Kevin McClory was already trying to kick start another James Bond film project not affiliated with Eon Productions.

Bond collector Gary Firuta sent us along the accompanying ad from Variety, the entertainment trade publication.

It says that Paradise Film Productions III had acquired “to license or sell certain James Bond film properties including S.P.E.C.T.R.E.” The ad goes on to say, “Bids will be considered shortly.”

McClory had an executive producer credit on 1983’s Never Say Never Again. He and producer Jack Schwartzman shared the “presents” vanity credit, similar to the Eon’s 007 series where producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman “presented” the film (with Broccoli the sole presenter after Saltzman sold off his interest in the enterprise).

Never Say Never Again got made because Sean Connery, who had starred in six Eon 007 films, was willing to come back to play Bond. But that was a one-time deal.

Still, McClory wasn’t done with Bond and would spend more than a decade trying to launch yet another Bond film adventure. Eventually, Eon (and Danjaq LLC) would best McClory in court. In 2013, Eon, Danjaq and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would settle with McClory’s estate to get back the rights to SPECTRE and Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The current Eon 007 film, SPECTRE, is now in production.