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The earliest textual witness for the novel, bearing the Thunderball name and annotated by the author. The author's own copy of this abandoned film treatment contains his extensive revisions and the creation of the Thunderball title in his hand. This is one of only two known film scripts written or co-written by Fleming (the other being Moonraker) and the only recorded screenplay with Fleming's annotations. This script features manuscript supplementary text, commentary on the script, an instance of cinematic direction, and suggestions for revision, together with numerous typographical and spelling corrections. It is noted as a "First Draft Screenplay" and "intended only to be distributed to Messrs. Ivar Bryce, Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham, as a guide to the completion of the Final Screenplay". It is dated on the title page, "December 21st 1959 to February 15th 1960". The half-title includes a note from Kevin McClory to Fleming stating that the script has been despatched "with haste from the Airport". McClory hopes that Fleming has been "warned... about the title (but it's only a working one!)" Evidently Fleming thought he could improve on the new title. McClory concludes that "already we have many changes to make in this - and hope you can meet me here next week to discuss them". This is an important manuscript in the history of the ninth 007 novel. Thunderball, the story which featured the first appearance of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE. The earliest textual witness for the novel, bearing the Thunderball name and annotated by the author. The author's own copy of this abandoned film treatment contains his extensive revisions and the creation of the Thunderball title in his hand. This is one of only two known film scripts written or co-written by Fleming (the other being Moonraker) and the only recorded screenplay with Fleming's annotations. This script features manuscript supplementary text, commentary on the script, an instance of cinematic direction, and suggestions for revision, together with numerous typographical and spelling corrections. It is noted as a "First Draft Screenplay" and "intended only to be distributed to Messrs. Ivar Bryce, Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham, as a guide to the completion of the Final Screenplay". It is dated on the title page, "December 21st 1959 to February 15th 1960". The half-title includes a note from Kevin McClory to Fleming stating that the script has been despatched "with haste from the Airport". McClory hopes that Fleming has been "warned... about the title (but it's only a working one!)" Evidently Fleming thought he could improve on the new title. McClory concludes that "already we have many changes to make in this - and hope you can meet me here next week to discuss them". This is an important manuscript in the history of the ninth 007 novel. Thunderball, the story which featured the first appearance of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE, had its genesis in this unrealized film treatment. Fleming worked on a film script late in 1959 with producer Kevin McClory, scriptwriter Jack Whittingham, and friends Ernie Cuneo and Ivar Bryce who had formed a film company named Xanadu Productions. This project predates the EON sequence of films that began with the release of Dr No in 1962. Cuneo had the original idea of a Russian agent's plans to detonate atomic weapons on an American base. When the novel was published, the dedication read "To Ernest Cuneo, Muse". The earliest title for the film was James Bond of the Secret Service. This was later changed to Longitude 78 West. The present script records the change to Thunderball by Fleming. The half-title shows the original title crossed through and the new name supplied. It also notes "'Thunderball' ie Operation T., A James Bond Adventure". The title page of the script, similarly, shows deletion of the original title and addition of the new, together with "A James Bond Adventure". In this respect, we see Fleming aware of a sense of branding focused on his main character. The screenplay was credited to Jack Whittingham, "based on a story by Ian Fleming". McClory added several plot elements. It was anticipated that Alfred Hitchcock would direct, but the director chose to work on Psycho instead. As the project began to flounder, Fleming left for Jamaica to write the next novel in the James Bond series. He was bereft of ideas and began to work from the storyline of the abandoned film without acknowledging McClory or Whittingham. It was an omission which would prove "fatal" (Shakespeare, p. 601). When the novel was published, McClory and Whittingham took Bryce and Fleming to court and this became "one of the most high-profile media trials of the 1960s" (Gilbert, p. 246). In a legal ruling, the second and subsequent impressions of Thunderball would include a note that the novel was "based on a screen treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham and Ian Fleming". Fleming "had his coronary a fortnight after the court case" (Shakespeare, p. 614). Both McClory and Whittingham were awarded certain rights to the original project. EON's film production of Thunderball was released in 1965, based on the novel. The producer was McClory (with executive producers listed as Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli). McClory also developed Warhead from the same source material in the late 1970s, but that film was unrealized. Finally, in 1983, McClory remade the 1965 Thunderball film as Never Say Never Again. This script, documenting Fleming's involvement with the film project, is an important manuscript in this convoluted story and comes from the estate of Kevin McClory. It has hitherto been lost to Fleming scholarship. READ MORE Original Roneographed typescript. Original paper wrappers with window through front wrapper to half-title, printed on rectos only, secured by three split pins, with annotations on pp. 1, 3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 22 (and facing), 23, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 41, 42, 45, 48, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 56, 70, 73, 83, 93, 94, 102, 105, 112, 113, 114, 115, 118, 121, 125, 128, 130, and 131, also with highlighting on p. 80 presumably not by Fleming. Some minor foxing to first page, minor rusting to pins, some minor creases; near-fine. Jon Gilbert, The Schøyen Collection: Ian Fleming & James Bond, 2020; Nicholas Shakespeare, Ian Fleming: the Complete Man, 2023.

Thunderball is the ninth book in the James Bond series, and the eighth full-length James Bond novel, written by Ian Fleming. It is famous for introducing the criminal organization SPECTRE and the character Ernst Stavro Blofeld.