20 Things You Didn't Know About The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

6. Tapped Out On Bond

The Man With The Golden Gun Ending
MGM/UA

Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz envisioned the film as a dark cat-and-mouse game between Double-0 Seven and Francisco Scaramanga.

However, when Jack Palance declined the role of Scaramanga and the focus twisted in favour of the popular kung fu films of the time, Mankiewicz began to feel increasingly “tapped out” writing the film, leading to disagreements with the director, Guy Hamilton. Mankiewicz departed the production, whilst long-time Bond screenwriter, Richard Maibaum completed the script.

Despite this, Mankiewicz would perform uncredited work on both The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker (1979).

Proving that there were no hard feelings, Hamilton recommended Mankiewicz to work on Superman: The Movie (1978).

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.