Hammerhead (1968)

Interesting facts

Hammerhead is a 1968 British Eurospy thriller film directed by David Miller and starring Vince Edwards, Judy Geeson and Diana Dors. Its plot concerns a criminal mastermind who attempts to steal NATO secrets, with an American agent hot on his trail. It is based on the 1964 novel of the same title by English novelist James Mayo, and produced by Irving Allen and written by Herbert Baker, who made the Matt Helm films for Columbia Pictures. It was filmed in London and Portugal.

Production

The film was based on a novel by James Mayo published in 1964.

Film rights were bought by Irving Allen, the producer. Allen had, at one time, been in partnership with Albert Broccoli, who wanted to make movies based on the James Bond books; Allen did not, the partnership ended, and Broccoli had a huge success with the Bond movies. Allen moved into espionage films himself with the Matt Helm series, and he bought the film rights to Hammerhead.

In May 1967, Allen said the project was on a slate of seven movies he had with Columbia, others being: Cromwell; The Black Frontier; The Wrecking Crew; Savage Canary; The Pocket Venus and The Ambushers. In June of the same year, Allen announced he had signed David Miller to a three-picture deal, starting with Hammerhead, which he would make in London, the following September, from a script by Jack Brierley and Herbert Baker; Allen wanted it to be…

The original plan was to film in France but this was changed to Portugal. That August, Allen announced Judy Geeson would co-star.

The production of the film was delayed because Columbia contract star Vince Edwards suffered a bone-fracture during the filming in Portugal in 1967.

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