Synopsis for
Never Say Never Again (1983)

In this remake and updated version of the 1965 THUNDERBALL, James Bond, who has been primarily teaching for the last few years, is quite happily yanked out of semiretirement to deal with the deadly SPECTRE organization's newest plan for the destruction of the planet. (The Bond story line mimics Sean Connery's semiretirement from the role, which he had last played in 1971's DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.) Agent Number 2, also known as Maximilian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer), has managed to steal two cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads, and Agent Number 1, Blofeld (Max von Sydow), has threatened to explode them in areas with large populations if a huge, and almost impossible, ransom demand from the NATO countries is not met. The film features an excellent gaming battle between Largo and Bond, as well as stunning turns by Barbara Carrera and Kim Basinger.

The film is considered an "unofficial" James Bond film because it is not part of the Bond film franchise from EON Productions and United Artists, even though it is currently owned by United Artists parent MGM[1]. MGM acquired the distribution rights in 1997 after their acquisition of Orion Pictures. The film also marks the culmination of a long legal battle between United Artists and Kevin McClory.

Originally, the film was scheduled for release in direct competition against the official (i.e. EON Productions) 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 times in 1983, and both were box office successes although Octopussy ended up making more money than Never Say Never Again.