Did Ian Fleming Write the Character of James Bond?

It is a well-known fact that novelist Ian Fleming created the iconic character of James Bond, 007, in his 1953 novel Casino Royale. However, the story behind the creation of this famous spy is more complex than it initially seems.

The Collaboration with Kevin McClory

One of the most interesting stories in the James Bond canon concerns a collaboration between Ian Fleming and a man named Kevin McClory. McClory, best known for developing the screenplay for the film adaptation of James Bond's novel, helped bring to life some of the most memorable aspects of 007's character.

According to various accounts, Fleming and McClory met over drinks and discussed the idea of a new James Bond screenplay. The next morning, Fleming arrived at his typewriter and found the script already completed. Strangely, he could not remember typing it. McClory, on the other hand, claimed that he provided most of the ideas and even made significant changes to the character of 007. This intricate collaboration led to the creation of the script titled “Longitude 78 West,” which later evolved into the novel “Thunderball.”

The Legal Battles and Its Consequences

This collaboration eventually turned into a highly publicized legal dispute. The intellectual property issues surrounding the character of 007 and the film rights for “Thunderball” were so complex that it affected the entire sequence of the Bond novels and their corresponding films. The resolution of these legal matters meant that the film version of “Thunderball” had to be released out of sequence, before the remaining novels in the series had been adapted for the big screen.

Kevin McClory, despite Fleming's absence, was granted the producer role for “Thunderball.” This film became the most successful in the 007 series up to that point, earning significant box office success and critical acclaim.

James Bond and the Service of MI6

The character of James Bond is a blend of Fleming's imagination and real-life intelligence gathering, as Bond was initially a sort of direct service for MI6, the United Kingdom's domestic intelligence and security agency. It was Fleming's close ties with the intelligence community and his real-life experiences that lent a ground to the character of 007. His novel series, which featured Bond's adventures, were published in 12 books and two collections of short stories, making Bond one of the most enduring and beloved characters in literature and popular culture.

From his high-stakes gambling, his expert skills in espionage, and his relentless pursuit of justice, Bond has captivated the audience for decades. Ian Fleming's vivid descriptions and the meticulous attention to detail made James Bond a character that remains unmatched to this day.

So, while the questions around who exactly wrote the character of James Bond might be a bit more complex, the contribution of both Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory played a crucial role, even if their methods were somewhat unusual.