Octopussy: Roger Moore plays James Bond in the 1983 trailer
Octopussy debuted on TV today, and it was the last James Bond outing written by Ian Fleming. It was serialized in two parts in Playboy magazine after the author’s death in 1964.
Roger Moore returned as 007 in 1983’s big screen spin-off at the last minute, after announcing he was leaving the role.
American actor James Brolin has already been cast (see screen test below) but producers have been nervous since Sean Connery would return for the highly publicized role that same year.
Bond producer Michael G. Wilson admitted to writer Ramon Sanchez that he feared it would be the end of the series.
In spy-worthy fashion, Sly Moore seized the opportunity and also held secret meetings with Sean Connery.
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Sean Connery and Roger Moore’s Sneaky Secret Meetings About James Bond (Image: GETTY)
Roger Moore and Bond Girl Maude Adams in Octopussy (Image: GETTY)
After 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, the official Bond producers at EON were lining up Octopussy, when independent producer Jack Shwartzman signed Connery to return in a competing unauthorized production, to be released the same year.
Never Say Never Again also had a much higher budget, at $36 million compared to Octopussy’s $27 million. How did Moore feel about Connery returning to challenge him as Bond? And who chose the ticket-buying audience in this bond battle?
Once the movies were in the box and headed to movie theaters, Moore spilled the beans on national television.
James Bond: James Brolin stars in Octopussy’s screen test
“Of course, Jack Schwartzman came up to me and asked if I wanted to do it (Never Say Again), or did I want to do it (Octopussy),” Moore said on US TV. “So, yeah, of course, that gave me a certain amount of leverage.” .
“I said to Sean, ‘Which one would you like to do?'” And he didn’t want to do that with Cubby, so I’m here and he’s there.”
Connery and Broccoli famously fell out badly at the end of Scotland’s stint in the role and refused to be in the same position during the filming of 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.
Sean Connery hugs Roger Moore at the party to celebrate his knighthood, (Image: GETTY)
Moore later spoke about the situation in his autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, and he’s the kindest magician ever.
He said, “There was no animosity between Sean and I. We didn’t respond to press speculation that we had become rivals for the part. In fact, we often ate dinner together and compared notes on how much each shot was and how our producers were trying to kill us with all the action scenes they expected us to do.” with it.”
The cast were rivals, Moore insisted: “There are no more than two jockeys who would get paid anyway for running the race. But it would be nice if you won because you’d get an extra bonus. But really, no more than that. Sean and I are friends.”
Sean Connery as Bond with Barbara Bach and Kim Basinger (photo: FS)
When asked why audiences would want to see the same movie character twice in one year, Moore smoothly replied that theatergoers happily went to see more than one production of Hamlets or A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
When interviewers quickly asked what his version of Bond was, Moore made fun of Hamlet.
The first person to make a public choice between Moore and Connery was Barbara Carrera, who turned down the lead in Octopussy because she wanted to work with the Scotsman.
The year-end box office charts showed who the audience chose in the end.
Every Bond girl included (Image: GETTY)
Octopussy was released in June with Never Say Never Again in October. All eyes were on the final box office totals as audiences’ preferred final answer was Bond.
Of its $36 million budget, $160 million was raised. The official Moore Bond film earned $187.5 million on a budget of $28 million.
Of course, the two men simply remained great friends their entire lives — only shaken (and no doubt very amused) by bumping up their bank balances.
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