Okay, so here is something which never would have happened (rightly so perhaps). What if Hitchcock did Kevin McClory's 'Thunderball' remake?
Hitchcock was one of the people asked to film the first Bond film written by McClory, Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham, a couple of years before Brocolli and Saltzman started work on a Bond series of there own, the 4th of which would be an adaption of the 'Thunderball' story by McClory, Fleming & Whittingham.
McClory had been in a position to remake 'Thunderball' since 1975. He announced his plans in 1976, the same year Hitchcock's final film 'Family Plot' came out. After 'Family Plot' Hitchcock was desperate for a subject and started work on a spy thriller based on a novel called 'The Short Night'.
So what if McClory approached 'Hitch' again? The final film might have been the coolest Bond film ever! Also, 'Never Say Never Again' poorly and indifferently copied the formula of the Moore Bond movies, a huge pity since they had the opportunity to make a truly unique stand-alone James Bond thriller.
Hitchcock would have undoubtedly rewritten the 'Thunderball' to suit his own tastes and themes. While I enjoy the comicbook feel of 'Never Say Never Again', a 'North by Northwest' atmosphere would have suited it much better.
Alfred Hitchcock - Sean Connery - James Bond ... I rest my case.
Hitchcock was one of the people asked to film the first Bond film written by McClory, Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham, a couple of years before Brocolli and Saltzman started work on a Bond series of there own, the 4th of which would be an adaption of the 'Thunderball' story by McClory, Fleming & Whittingham.
McClory had been in a position to remake 'Thunderball' since 1975. He announced his plans in 1976, the same year Hitchcock's final film 'Family Plot' came out. After 'Family Plot' Hitchcock was desperate for a subject and started work on a spy thriller based on a novel called 'The Short Night'.
So what if McClory approached 'Hitch' again? The final film might have been the coolest Bond film ever! Also, 'Never Say Never Again' poorly and indifferently copied the formula of the Moore Bond movies, a huge pity since they had the opportunity to make a truly unique stand-alone James Bond thriller.
Hitchcock would have undoubtedly rewritten the 'Thunderball' to suit his own tastes and themes. While I enjoy the comicbook feel of 'Never Say Never Again', a 'North by Northwest' atmosphere would have suited it much better.
Alfred Hitchcock - Sean Connery - James Bond ... I rest my case.
