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I noticed the convoluted story and screenplay credits on the film last night. It seems Thunderball was intended to be the first James Bond film, and the first version of it was written directly for the screen. When that didn't pan out as the first Bond movie, Ian Fleming adapted the screenplay for his 9th James Bond novel. Kevin McClory, one of the original screenplay writers, promptly sued Fleming for plagerism.
As part of the eventual settlement, McClory got the producer credit on Thunderball (relegating Cubby and Saltzman to exec producers for the first and only time), and he retained certain rights to the novel. And he could, and did, later remake the film as Never Say Never Again, with the coup of Sean Connery reprising his role as James Bond. I like the remake very much, although it veers from the typical Bond style ... especially in the scoring department. But Klaus Maria Brandauer is one of the best Bond villains ever, and Thunderball is simply a great Bond story worthy of an updated version.
Both movies are teriffic, though of course the original is one of the four uber-classic Connery Bonds that are now beyond iconic.
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