20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
3. Leonard Nimoy Had To Persuade Michael Eisner He Didn't Hate Spock Just Be Allowed Back In
Nimoy had famously taken a good deal of convincing to return to Star Trek as The Motion Picture was in pre-production. Jeffrey Katzenberg tells the story that he had to beg the man, in public, before he would come back. Added to this were outstanding financial issues in relation to Nimoy's likeness being used without his permission.
As The Wrath Of Khan was in production, Studio chief Michael Eisener mistakenly believed that Nimoy had demanded that Spock be killed off. So, when it came to the sequel, Eisner believed that the actor was totally against Star Trek.
Bennett, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy all recounted the story that they had to convince Eisner of this fact - all before Nimoy could be given the job of director on the film. Ironically, after the deed had been done, Gene Roddenberry joked with Bennett that he had, as producer, hired a director who couldn't be fired - as the film was named after the man's character, if nothing else.