is a non-EON Productions remake of the 1965 James Bond film, Thunderball. It stars Sean Connery, who returns as British Secret Service agent James Bond.
Although the film was not part of EON's Bond film franchise, subsequent mergers and dealings mean that it is currently owned, like the series, by United Artists' parent, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer:[1] MGM acquired the distribution rights in 1997 after its acquisition of Orion Pictures. The film also marks the culmination of a long legal battle between United Artists and Kevin McClory that goes back to his working on the original story with Fleming and Jack Whittingham.
Originally, the film was scheduled for release in direct competition with the EON Bond film, Octopussy, starring Roger Moore, which led to the media dubbing the situation "The Battle of the Bonds". Ultimately, the two films were released at different points in 1983 and both were big box-office successes, though Octopussy was the 'winner', making $187 million compared to the $160 million made by Never Say Never Again.
The title is based on a conversation between Sean Connery and his wife. After Diamonds Are Forever he told her he'd 'never' play James Bond again. Her response was for him to "Never say never again". She is credited at the end of the film for her contribution. As a result, it was the first Bond movie to use a non-Fleming originated title.
