Agent 007, James Bond, becomes a “new” member of the Amazon team. The giant corporation led by Jeff Bezos announced that it has taken over creative control of the much-loved James Bond franchise after years of stalemate marked by the search for a possible successor to Daniel Craig, the last person to step into the shoes of the world’s most famous secret agent.
Immediately after Thursday’s announcement, the Amazon founder posted on Instagram a screenshot of a BBC article announcing his “break-in” on the 007 project, complete with the caption “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?”.
Four years after the last film starring Daniel Craig, this question currently remains unanswered. Meanwhile, it has been announced that the franchise’s historic “gate keepers,” Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, will not take part in the Amazon-branded project.
“With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects,” Wilson said. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
“With the conclusion of ‘No Time to Die’ and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects”, Broccoli added.
Amazon, Wilson and Broccoli had created a joint venture to house 007’s intellectual property. All will remain co-owners of the franchise, but now the Bezos giant will have creative control. In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM, which held the rights to all “Bond” films, for $6.5 billion.
Last December, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company and Barbara Broccoli, daughter of producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the man largely responsible for 007’s cinematic success, were undecided on how to take the franchise forward after Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021. At the time, “No Time to Die” grossed an astronomical $774 million at the box office.
According to the latest rumors, Bezos’ company had proposed the production of a spin-off, but saw its idea being rejected by the producer.
The WSJ described the affair as “a clash between the 20th-century Hollywood of big screens and big swings and a new entertainment industry ruled by Silicon Valley firms that prize data, algorithms, and streaming subscriptions.”
