Gregory Ratoff James Bond Rights Relinquished 'link' [LATEST]

Gregory Ratoff was a Hollywood heavyweight in the 1940s, known for his heavy accent and larger-than-life personality (he famously directed All About Eve ’s non-stage sequences). In the mid-1950s, Ratoff saw potential in Fleming’s novels. He purchased an option for the film rights to Casino Royale .

Why isn't Ratoff’s name on the Dr. No poster? Because when he relinquished the general rights, he only kept Casino Royale .

The Forgotten Mogul: How Gregory Ratoff Relinquished the Crown Jewels of Spy Cinema

Ratoff died in 1960, never seeing the Bond phenomenon explode. His estate, however, still held the messy rights to Casino Royale . That led to the 1967 spoof version starring David Niven—a chaotic, psychedelic mess that Ratoff’s widow sold off for a reported $1,000.

If Ratoff had held onto the rights, James Bond might have been a forgotten B-movie character from the 1950s. Instead, by letting go, he allowed the franchise to fall into the hands that built the legend.

Fleming, desperate to get his hero on screen, agreed. He then sold the rights to all future Bond books to a pair of producers you might have heard of: Broccoli and Saltzman.

When we think of the men who controlled the fate of James Bond, names like Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, and Kevin McClory immediately spring to mind. But before the gunbarrel sequence ever existed, the film rights to Ian Fleming’s literary sensation were held by an unlikely character: a boisterous, Russian-born actor-director named Gregory Ratoff.