He was also a notorious wheeler-dealer. Ratoff didn’t just make movies; he hunted for properties. And in 1954, he went hunting for the most dangerous game of all: Ian Fleming’s nascent spy novels.
In the mid-1950s, Ian Fleming was not a brand. He was a former naval intelligence officer and a Sunday Times columnist writing thrillers for a niche audience. His first Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953), sold respectably, not spectacularly. gregory ratoff james bond film rights
But the true origin story of Bond in cinema begins a decade earlier, with a flamboyant, Russian-born Hollywood director named Gregory Ratoff. He was also a notorious wheeler-dealer
Imagine an alternate timeline. What if Ratoff had partnered with a young Cubby Broccoli in 1955? What if he’d held on just six more years? He could have been a co-father of the most successful film franchise in history. In the mid-1950s, Ian Fleming was not a brand