A 13 Mar 1988 LAT item announced that John Glen would direct Licence Revoked, the sixteenth installment in the Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli-produced James Bond series of feature films. A 15 Apr 1988 LAT item confirmed that Timothy Dalton, who played “James Bond” in the latest film, The Living Daylights (1987, see entry), would reprise the role. Filming was set to begin in mid-Jul 1988. The title was eventually changed to Licence to Kill. According to a 9 Jul 1989 LAT article, the phrase referred to text from one of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, in which Fleming references a “James Bond Dossier” stating that the MI6 agent “holds a Secret Service number with the 00 prefix – giving him the licence to kill.”
       Although some publicity materials claimed entertainer Wayne Newton made his feature film debut in Licence To Kill, a 17 Feb 1989 LAHExam item cited Newton’s previous appearance in the 1969 feature film, 80 Steps to Jonah (see entry).
       A “James Bond Girl” contest was co-sponsored by United Artists and the music television network VH1, according to the 31 Jul 1988 LAT. Sandy Sentell, a twenty-four-year-old dance teacher from Knoxville, TN, won the contest, and received the prize of a walk-on part to be shot on Key West, FL, as stated in the 28 Aug 1988 LAHExam. However, Sentell did not receive onscreen credit. Likewise, a 23 Aug 1988 LAT item stated that Florida Governor Robert "Bob" Martinez played a guard in a scene shot on Key West, but Martinez is not credited onscreen.
       A 14 Apr 1988 HR item noted Licence To Kill would be the second Cubby Broccoli-produced James Bond film, after Moonraker (1979, see entry), to stray from shooting at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. After scouting locations in China, including film studios in Beijing and Shanghai, as noted in the 13 Dec 1987 LAT, Broccoli decided to base the shoot in Mexico, for a savings of $5 million.
       The 13 Jul 1988 Var production chart stated principal photography began 18 Jul 1988. As noted in a 16 Aug 1988 HR brief, four of the eight soundstages at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City, Mexico, were used to shoot interiors. Production notes in AMPAS library files state that the following Mexico City locations were used: Casino Espagnol, a social club that doubled for parts of “Franz Sanchez’s” casino; Teatro de la Ciudad; Oficina de Correos Mayor, in El Centro; and Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico. Outside Mexico City, the Otomi Ceremonial Center stood in for the “Olympatec Meditation Institute”; a beachside residence in Acapulco doubled as the home of Franz Sanchez; and, underwater sequences were filmed on Isla Mujeres near Cancun. After Mexico, four weeks of filming took place on Key West, where locations included: Mallory Square; Garrison Bite Marina; Key West Airport; the Hemingway House, where Bond encounters “M”; St. Mary’s Catholic Church; the Seven Mile Bridge; and Sugarloaf Key Airport.
       In the climactic chase sequence involving gasoline tankers, ten Kenworth trucks costing $100,000 each were destroyed, according to a 17 Jul 1989 HR “Hollywood Report” column. The sequence was shot in La Rumurosa, on a jagged stretch of road in Baja California, Mexico, and required a second unit to be stationed there for six weeks. Only one week of filming involved first-unit cast and crew.
       A Dec 1988 HR item stated that systematic robbery of costumes and stage props took place during the ninety-eight days of production in Mexico. Legal action was being considered, but had not yet been taken for fear of causing a negative impact on future production there.
       Post-production was completed at Pinewood Studios.
       According to an article in the 28 Jul 1989 DV, promotional tie-ins included: a Kansas Lottery scratch-off contest; a Sterling automobile giveaway sponsored by USA Today, the newspaper’s first such entertainment promotion; limited-edition “007” Kenworth tractor-trailors with 007 emblems, satin sheets, and tuxedos for buyers; and an Acapulco getaway cross-promoted by Pepsi, Polaroid, and Univision. Producer Michael G. Wilson would not reveal marketing costs, but lamented that the promotional budget nearly equaled the $34.5 million production budget.
       The film debuted in England, where a 13 Jun 1989 royal charity premiere at London’s Odeon Cinema was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Proceeds from the event went to the Prince’s Trust. A 13 Jun 1989 DV item noted that Licence to Kill marked the first time the British Board of Film Classification had rated a James Bond film “15,” meaning children younger than that age would not be permitted into theaters. To avoid such a rating, filmmakers cut thirty-eight seconds of violence, but the board deemed it insufficient. In the U.S., the film received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
       The 10 Jul 1989 Los Angeles, CA, premiere was hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the Directors Guild Theater, as noted in the 16 May 1989 DV. An after-party at the Bel Age Hotel honored Cubby Broccoli’s career, and proceeds from the event went to BAFTA-LA and the Motion Picture & Television Fund. On 14 Jul 1989, the U.S. theatrical release took place on 1,575 screens. A 22 Aug 1989 HR item reported that Licence to Kill had grossed $31.5 million domestically, and the film was “doing roaring business” overseas. According to the 6 Mar 1998 HR, the cumulative worldwide box-office amounted to $156.7 million, which fell short of the $191.2 million worldwide gross for the previous Bond film, The Living Daylights.
       A 12-18 Aug 1989 Screen International item noted that in the wake of the film’s release, MGM/UA made an agreement to “continue and enhance” the studio’s relationship with Cubby Broccoli, for all future Bond films.
       End credits include the following statement: “As tobacco products are used in this film, the Producers wish to remind the audience of the Surgeon General’s Warning: ‘Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.’” As noted in the 28 Jul 1989 DV, the warning was the first of its kind to be included in a major motion picture. Partly due to the “Luken bill,” a measure before Congress proposing a ban on youth-oriented cigarette advertising, and other “American watchdog organizations,” as noted in the 21 Mar 1989 and 9 Jul 1989 LAT, filmmakers came under pressure for accepting $350,000 from Philip Morris Cos. to feature Lark Cigarettes. Only three such paid instances between cigarette companies and feature films had been documented. The other two, according to the 8 Mar 1989 LAT, were Superman II (1981, see entry) and Supergirl (1984, see entry).
       End credits also state: “The Producers gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of: The officials and people of the Lower Keys, Florida; The Florida Film Bureau; The Key West Chamber of Commerce; United States Coast Guard; John H. Perry Inc. and Submersible Systems Technology Inc.; Cigarette Racing Team Inc.; Pan American World Airways; Aerospatiale; Kenworth Truck Company; Philips Electronics; Furuno U.S.A. Inc.; Dacor Corporation; Mappin & Webb; Bollinger Champagne; Baron Enrico Di Portanova; and the people and government of Mexico”; “Made by Danjaq S.A. at Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, and on location in Mexico and Florida, U.S.A.”; and, “James Bond will return.”