Answer: Roald Dahl

While most people know Roald Dahl as the author of iconic children’s books such as James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he was also an accomplished screenwriter who adapted many works for Hollywood as well as a decorated military man and intelligence officer.

With that in mind, it’s not entirely surprising to find out that not only did he know Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, but that he was selected to adapt the book You Only Live Twice into a screenplay. The work was particularly tricky in two ways. First, Fleming had died two years prior to the start of the film process and was thus unable to contribute feedback. Second, the book was considered to be one of his weaker ones and Dahl insisted it really needed some shoring up to make it to the silver screen.

The film’s producers gave Dahl a large degree of freedom with the script; it was the first Bond film which radically departed from the plot of the book upon which it was based. The adaption was well received and Dahl was quickly enlisted to adapt another one of Fleming’s books into a film: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.