Thunderball is a classic James Bond adventure, and very nearly established a shared universe of movie and TV spy characters, including Harry Palmer.

Thunderball cemented the James Bond franchise as one of the biggest in the world, and very nearly established its own shared spy movie universe.

While the first two 007 adventures Dr. No and From Russia With Love had been huge hits, 1964’s Goldfinger took its success to another level.

The film established the formula that many future outings would follow, including exotic locales, outlandish villains, high-tech gadgets and expensive setpieces. Thunderball was the fourth outing and was eagerly awaited by audiences.

Adjusted for inflation, Thunderball remains the most successful Bond movie in North America.

This James Bond movie was a true spectacle for audiences in 1965, especially thanks to its then-groundbreaking underwater photography and action setpieces.

In the aftermath of the film’s success, there was a rash of films trying to cash in or parody 007’s success, including James Coburn’s Our Man Flint or Operation Kid Brother, which starred Sean Connery’s brother, Neil.

While there have been various attempts to establish spinoffs like Halle Berry’s solo Jinx movie, there’s no real shared James Bond universe to speak of. However, Thunderball came close to establishing one

Thunderball Nearly Featured Other Famous ’60s Spy Characters

Around the start of the second act of Thunderball, Bond is called into a briefing involving SPECTRE’s ransom demands.

This meeting is attended by other 00 Agents, including – for the only time in the series until No Time To Die’s Nomi – a female 00. However, an early plan for this briefing was that other famous spy characters from both movies and TV would appear.

While reports vary on which characters would be involved, Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer from grounded spy thriller The Ipress File and Robert Vaughn and David McCallum from TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E are names that are commonly cited.

James Coburn’s Derek Flint and Dean Martin’s Matt Helm are two other reported attendees, though neither makes much sense as their first films came after Thunderball’s 1965 release.

Caine seems the only obvious candidate, as not only was he lifelong friends with Connery, but the Harry Palmer movies were produced by 007 franchise co-producer Harry Saltzman.

While this scene sounds like it would have been a fun nod to 007’s impact on pop culture, it was dropped over the logistics involved in gathering all the actors together, and the cost of hiring them for such a tongue-in-cheek scene.

Bond Eventually Met The Man From UNCLE (Sort Of)

In truth, it wouldn’t have made much sense to have Harry Palmer share the screen with James Bond, as the tone of both franchises were starkly different. That said, Bond technically did have a crossover with The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

In 1983, ex-Bond George Lazenby cameoed in TV movie The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E as “J.B,” a suave, tuxedo-clad spy who drives a gadget-laden Aston Martin.

J.B. aids Vaughn’s Sole during a chase, and while the name James Bond isn’t used, it’s obvious who he’s supposed to be.

While the Thunderball cameos didn’t work out, at least the two franchises got to briefly crossover.