Thanks to the success of the Bond and Bourne franchises, we’ve seen an explosion of espionage thrillers being produced over the past few years. Spy movies are so hot, in fact, that last year Universal bought a script called Section 6 about the formation of MI6 from first-time screenwriter Aaron Berg for a whopping $1.2 million (this deal was just cited in an L.A. Times article about the resurgence of spec scripts). They also recruited Jack O’Connell (300: Rise of an Empire) to star and recently hired Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) to direct. The project was looking quite promising right up until last week, when suddenly it was hit with a lawsuit: according to MGM, they’re getting a little too close to James Bond for their own good.

According to Deadline, MGM and James Bond producer Danjaq filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against Universal and Section 6, claiming that the movie contains far too many similarities to the Bond franchise. They are seeking unspecified damages and an injunction against the film. Here is an excerpt from their filing:

“This lawsuit concerns a motion picture project, in active development, featuring a daring, tuxedo-clad British secret agent, employed by ‘His Majesty’s Secret Service,’ with a ‘license to kill,’ and a 00 secret agent number on a mission to save England from the diabolical plot of a megalomaniacal villain. Most moviegoers would assume from that description alone that this lawsuit concerns the next James Bond picture. It does not.”

They have supposedly asked Universal to see a copy of the script, but Universal refused. From what we know, Section 6 is set during World War I and partially revolves around the agency’s first director, George Mansfield Cummings, who is known to be the inspiration for M (not to mention several other fictional characters). Since much of this is historical, we have to assume this is not the stuff that MGM is objecting to. However, there are also reports that the protagonist introduces himself last name first and several other characters resemble well-known Bond players.

So many elements of Bond movies have made their way into popular culture and influenced other works over the years that it’s hard to say exactly what MGM owns. Still, it could set a bad precedent if they win the lawsuit. What do you think, does it sound like Section 6 is just a Bond rip-off? Are you interested in seeing this movie get made either way?