The Battle for Bond - The Genesis of Cinema's Greatest Hero

THIS IS THE FORBIDDEN 1st PRINTING Cinema history might have been very different had the first James Bond film not been Dr. No in 1962 starring Sean Connery, but instead Thunderball directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1959 and starring Richard Burton as agent 007. It sounds preposterous and unbelievable, but it almost happened... The Battle for Bond unravels the untold story behind the most controversial part of the James Bond legend.A tale of bitter recriminations, betrayal, multi-million dollar lawsuits and even death. It is the fabled story of Kevin McClory’s 40 year legal battle over the rights to the screen version of James Bond. The creator of the 20th century’s greatest fictional character was in the dock, accused of plagiarism. This is the court case that killed lan Fleming! A wealth of previously unpublished material including hundreds of letters from the principal characters in the Thunderball story, including Fleming himself, business and private documents and never before seen papers from the 1963 court case appear here for the first time in print. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the truth about James Bond! «The seemingly endless legal battles that Kevin McClory waged against the James Bond producers split the film world, and the publishing world, into two camps. Bitter arguments, unscrupulous bids for credits and recognition, as well as buckets of money, poisoned lifelong friendships and fostered strange and unlikely alliances. No one had the complete story but everyone had an unshakeable opinion. | knew most of the leading players in this sad drama and this book recalled many memories best forgot. Anyone with a desire to go into the entertainment world should read this exciting, gripping but in the end, melancholy story: it should be enough to change their mind forever.» (Len Deighton) «The Battle For Bond will undoubtedly become the most important book ever published about the evolution of lan Fleming's James Bond from Fifties’ literary sensation to Sixties’ cinematic icon. Sellers’ book is a ‘must read’ for anyone who considers themselves either a Bond aficionado or a serious student of the history of cinema.» (Graham Rye — Editor & Publisher 007 Magazine) Every so often, the law shakes off its cobwebs to produce a story far too improbable even for the silver screen — too fabulous even for the world of 007.This is one of those occasions, for the case before us has it all. A US judge’s 200! summing up of Kevin McClory’s 40-year dispute over the parentage and ownership of the movie James Bond.