Who currently owns the rights to SPECTRE?

Vampfox

First post.

I was wondering with Kevin McClory's passing in 2006 who currently owns the legal rights to Blofeld? Does anyone know?

BIG TAM

There's an interview with Michael Wilson & Barbara Broccoli in the current issue of SFX magazine. Wilson suggests very heavily that EON may finally have the rights to use Blofeld & SPECTRE. Perhaps this may make up the plot of Bond 24 - the transformation of Quantum into SPECTRE.

Thunderpussy

I think Eon do now have after many court cases etc all the rights to Blofeld and SPECTRE.
Although they might of bought the rights so no one else can ever make a rival movie. As
I don't think we'll ever see SPECTRE rise again ( Much as I'd like to see it )
The secretive Money men Of Quantum are more in keeping with todays world.

Q-Branch_2012

I do secretly hope that Quantum turn into SPECTRE, I think it would be great, and give SPECTRE a bit more backstory.

minigeff

Boring rehashed tat.

SPECTRE is dead and buried, what is it with people's fascination on going over old ground. Time to move on and leave the past alone.

chrisisall

minigeff wrote:

Boring rehashed tat.

The past is where we were, the present is where we are, the future is fairly unknown to us.... a rehash to some is a new question to others.

BunsenPPK

I wouldn't mind seeing SPECTRE again, in the Thunderball novel Fleming gives a full backstory to Bloefeld and SPECTRE, I'll put some here (let me know if you want to see more of it )

"This mans name was Ernst Stavro Bloefeld and he was born in Gydnia of a Polish father and Greek mother on May 28th, 1908. After matriculating in economics and political history at the University of Warsaw he studied engineering and radionics at the Warsaw Technical Institute and at the age of twenty-five obtained a modest post in the central administration of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs."

Yeah, its a great book, goes on to say he made copies of telegrams and cables and sold the information to other countries for the right price. So there is potential for Quantum to morph into SPECTRE, but obviously no return of Bloefeld himself for several reasons...unless in DAF he had more clones of himself?

Thunderpussy

Fleming gave him, his own Birthday. )

BunsenPPK

Thunderpussy wrote:

Fleming gave him, his own Birthday. )

All for the sake of building up the character I suppose

GordoLeiter

Bring back SPECTRE and it will be the Connery films all over again 8-)

Strangeways

With the whole Dr Evil parody, blad head, white cat etc I don't think it would be credible for an official Bond movie to bring Blofeld back.

JohnMasterson

Strangeways wrote:

With the whole Dr Evil parody, blad head, white cat etc I don't think it would be credible for an official Bond movie to bring Blofeld back.

They could bring back Ernest Starvo Blofeld, if they just completely reinvented the character from the ground up. (I'm probably the only Batman fan on this site, but Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson were clearly not the comic book Joker. So, why can't they do the same thing with Ernest Starvo Blofeld and create their own version of Blofeld?)

BIG TAM

You're not the only Batman fan on this site, JohnMasterson.

I agree that what Burton & Nolan did with the Joker, EON could do with Blofeld. Physically I'd think Blofeld would have to be presented differently to avoid any adverse giggles (though I could imagine Ben Kinglsey in the role). I could however see a white cat turning up somewhere as a sly in-joke. It's the context it's put into that would make it work.

SPECTRE is what gave the Connery Bonds a certain unity. Not a slavish continuity as I believe each film really exists within its own 120 minutes of joy. Past references are really used more as a cheeky binding agent.

I'd love to see the return of SPECTRE, but feel Blofeld should perhaps be kept more in the shadows. I prefer seeing operatives like Dr. No, Rosa Klebb & Emilio Largo as the main foes.

I feel SPECTRE was sorely missed in the Moore era. Every great hero needs a great villain & SPECTRE is clearly to Bond what Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes.

MANDY1

Well, maybe a stupid idea but what about Blofeld's daughter Nena Blofeld (from Gardners book),
she would make great femme fatale of the series, for example movie titled as "The Property Of A Lady".
Also we could meet Leiter's daughter, Cedar. Anyway I'd love to see Spectre in the future and
Quantum could be just a branch of it.

JohnMasterson

Teppo wrote:

Well, maybe a stupid idea but what about Blofeld's daughter Nena Blofeld (from Gardners book),
she would make great femme fatale of the series, for example movie titled as "The Property Of A Lady".
Also we could meet Leiter's daughter, Cedar. Anyway I'd love to see Spectre in the future and
Quantum could be just a branch of it.

I haven't been able to easily buy the John Gardner James Bond books brand new. So, I haven't read them.

Napoleon Plural

The Blofeld of the Thunderball novel was quite different to that of the films in terms of looks. He was a large, thick set man but not flabby, a sort of crew cut, dark limpid eyes. No white cat or tunic. In one scene he bumps off a Spectre operative at a meeting by leaping to his feat and shooting him through the heart with some sort of dart bullet.

Spectre was also a different operative, being a pow-wow of gangsters combining for one big operation to retire on, not the ongoing thorn in the west's side you see in the films.

JohnMasterson

Napoleon Plural wrote:

The Blofeld of the Thunderball novel was quite different to that of the films in terms of looks. He was a large, thick set man but not flabby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S83v-H156TQ

If there was an actor in real life; who looked like The Kingpin from this old Spider-Man cartoon, but was maybe a little bit more physically fit; would he sort of pass off as the Blofeld from the book? (Obviously, minus the hair. And maybe, minus the limpid eyes.)

minigeff

chrisisall wrote:

minigeff wrote:

Boring rehashed tat.

The past is where we were, the present is where we are, the future is fairly unknown to us.... a rehash to some is a new question to others.

confusious has spoken 8-)

for everyone else on the planet, its just going over old ground and i can't see much point in it.

GordoLeiter

if they do bring back any of the SPECTRE members they could at least give some back story to them as well this time around. I for one have been curious to know how Doctor No lost his arms in the first place and who built those cyber ones for him.

chrisisall

minigeff wrote:

for everyone else on the planet, its just going over old ground and i can't see much point in it.

The planet? That's a fairly broad brush you paint with, old boy. )

Thunderbird 2

Thread "Return of Bonds Arch Enemies?" Post 17 by Thunderbird 2

Personally if they bring back Quantum (written properly) fair enough. To me Spectre and all its trappings belong left in the past. I thought about the whole "which Bond baddie would you bring back thread" and realised I wouldn't. Each Bond film is of its time, as are the guest characters. The obvious exceptions are the regular shakers who move with the format - M, Q MPenny etc.
I think a great villains for Bond would be a new recurring baddie who is difficult to prove IS a baddie. - A politician that keeps his fingers out of the pie? For example Tim Pigott-Smiths Foreign Minister from QoS?

Plus if you have a reboot, it should be about a fresh start, new directions - not rehashing old ideas all over again all over again. That's also why I am apathetic about the next Star Trek film, if what has been leaked is remotely true.

'I refer the honourable Ladies and Gentlemen of the forum to the statement I made some little time ago.' I KNEW I had seen a similar topic recently!