As of this post, there are 27 James Bond movies.

To the extent that further explanation is in order, the basis for that number is as follows. Ian Fleming created the fictional James Bond character and associated stories; all rights to this intellectual property were his, and solely his, at the get-go [1], and he retained them until the following occurred [2].

  1. In 1955, Mr Fleming sold film* rights to his 1953 novel, Casino Royale, to Gregory Ratoff [3,4]. Upon his death, these passed to his widow, who subsequently sold them to Charles K Feldman. This served as legitimate basis for his co-producing, with Jerry Bresler, one motion picture, also titled Casino Royale, in 1967.
  2. In 1961, Kevin McClory brought an injunction against Mr Fleming tied to then-upcoming publication of the Thunderball novel that same year [5,6].
  3. Subsequent to the aforementioned, Mr Fleming sold all remaining and future rights associated “James Bond” to Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman [7-9]. This served as legitimate basis for their co-production of eight motion pictures: Dr No (1962) through Goldfinger (1964), and You Only Live Twice (1967) through The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
  4. In 1963, an out-of-court settlement resulted in assignment to Kevin McClory of “‘all the copyright in the film scripts and the exclusive right to re-produce any part of the novel in films and for the purpose of making such films to make scripts.’ Fleming also granted McClory ‘the exclusive right to use the character James Bond as a character in any such scripts or film of Thunderball‘” [10].
  5. Circa 1964, Messrs Broccoli and Saltzman reached an agreement with Mr McClory through which the later would produce the 1965 Thunderball motion picture [11] and “another version of it” no sooner than ten years after that [12]. This served as legitimate basis for the Jack Schwartzman production of Never Say Never Again (1983).
  6. In 1975, Harry Saltzman sold out of his interests in “James Bond” to “a less than silent partner,” United Artists [13,14]. This served as legitimate basis for Albert R Broccoli to solo-produce The Spy Who Love Me (1977) through Octopussy (1983), and, co-produce with Michael G Wilson [15], A View to a Kill (1985) through Licence to Kill (1989).
  7. In 1981, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (“MGM”) acquired United Artists [16]. This served as legitimate basis for its (recognized) involvement in the James Bond franchise from that point forward.
  8. In 1994 — following through on continuity planning developed by Albert R Broccoli [17] — Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson jointly produced GoldenEye in 1995 [18], and on through No Time to Die (2012).
  9. In 2004, Sony acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, along with “the MGM film library, which includes properties such as the James Bond series …. Sony acquired Columbia Pictures in 1989 for $3.9bn. United Artists and television production” [19]. This served as legitimate basis for its (recognized) involvement in the James Bond franchise from that point forward.
  10. In 2013, the Kevin McClory estate “sold any remaining stake in 007 to Danjac, maker of the James Bond films via its better known subsidiary Eon, and distributor MGM” [20].

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* Television rights to Casino Royale are not (obviously) included in the 27-count of James Bond movies. Moreover, these were sold separately, around the same time as the film rights, to CBS — which “became the first company to portray James Bond on screen when it broadcast an hour-long live version of Casino Royale as part of its Chrysler Climax Mystery Theater series” [21].

© 2021 Dell Deaton, All Rights Reserved. USA

References

  1. “The Lifecycle of Copyright” / October 15, 2020 / United States Copyright Office (accessed December 15, 2021).
  2. “What is Copyright?” / January 21, 2021 / United States Copyright Office.
  3. Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond / 1995 / Andrew Lycett (page 264; Turner Publishing: Atlanta).
  4. When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli / 1998 / Albert R Broccoli with Donald Zec (page 154; Boxtree: London).
  5. The Letters of Ann Fleming / 1985 / Mark Amory, Editor (page 281, footnote 5; Collins Harvill: London).
  6. The Battle for Bond / 2007/ Robert Sellers (“Introduction,” first page; Tomahawk Press: Sheffield, England).
  7. A Bond for Bond: Film Finances and Dr No / 2011 / Charles Drazin (pages 16 and 117; Film Finances: London).
  8. When the Snow Melts (pages 150-153, and 157).
  9. Musts, Maybes, and Nevers / 2013 / David V Picker (pages 55-57; self-published: North Charleston, South Carolina).
  10. A Battle for Bond (pages 105-122).
  11. When the Snow Melts (page 197).
  12. __/ (page 261).
  13. When Harry Met Cubby: The Story of the James Bond Producers / 2019 (pages 236-240; The History Press: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom).
  14. James Bond: The Legacy / 2002 / John Cork and Bruce Scivally (pages 164-165; Harry N Abrams: New York).
  15. __/ (page 207).
  16. “MGM buys United Artists” / July 28, 1981 / UPI (accessed December 15, 2021).
  17. When Harry Met Cubby (page 248).
  18. James Bond: The Legacy (pages 244-257).
  19. “Sony’s £2.7bn MGM deal agreed” / September 14, 2004 / David Teather / The Guardian.
  20. “Blofeld could be back in James Bond’s crosshairs following legal deal” / November 18, 2013 / Ben Child / The Guardian.
  21. Ian Fleming (pages 264-265).