Dr. No (1962) director Terence Young originally planned to use his 007 star Sir Sean Connery, and to cast Connery's then-wife Diane Cilento in the title role.
In 1985, model Janice Martin was announced as the title heroine in an updated version by Ken Russell and Penthouse's Bob Guccione. After several false starts, including a last minute cancellation in Rome, the project, which would have included Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger, and Trevor Howard, all ended up very acrimoniously in court. Russell won.