10 Movies Probably Made Out Of Spite
8. Never Say Never Again
The Bond franchise itself isn't entirely averse to a little pettiness, mind, given that the release of 1983's non-canon 007 outing Never Say Never Again was the culmination of a two-decade-plus quest by producer Kevin McClory to assert his rights over Ian Fleming's 1961 novel "Thunderball."
Basically, McClory worked with Fleming to write a script for a potential nautical-themed Bond film which was eventually discarded, with Fleming repurposing it into the Thunderball novel without crediting McClory or scriptwriter Jack Whittingham.
A lawsuit was later settled which allowed McClory to produce the 1965 Eon-produced Bond film Thunderball, but not adapt his own version of the novel for at least a decade.
After years of development, and a legal challenge from Fleming's trustees, McClory's version of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again, was finally released in 1983.
Better still, it pulled off the incredible coup of luring Sean Connery back to play 007 some 12 years after he hung up the suit in Diamonds Are Forever.
Bond fans remain sharply divided on the film, which while elegantly directed by The Empire Strikes Back's Irvin Kershner unavoidably feels like a retread of what came before.
Even so, that the film exists at all is a sure testament to McClory's ability to hold a grudge for more than 20 years. Impressive.