We have some bad news for fans of Bond, James Bond. A recent report indicates we may not see any new movies about the gadget-centric MI6 agent for a while. The reason? A good old-fashioned standoff between Amazon MGM and the Broccoli family, who oversee the franchise for Eon Production.
Eon’s long-running spy franchise is based on a series of books by Ian Fleming that debuted in 1962. There are 25 films based on the character, the most recent being 2021’s “No Time to Die” starring Daniel Craig. It was well known the project would end Craig’s five-movie contract. And despite the closing credits promising a 26th installment, it has yet to materialize.
In 2021, Amazon acquired MGM Studios, which has the distribution rights to Eon’s library. Given Amazon’s resources, you would think this would be a huge win for the future of 007. However, the franchise remains dormant, leaving fans and critics scratching their heads as to why.
The Bond Stalemate
According to a report published in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the issue boils down to longtime franchise steward and daughter to Eon co-founder Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, Barbara Broccoli’s concerns about how Amazon will handle the IP.
Amazon Studios assigned executive Jennifer Salke to handle the property. However, “Broccoli was irked in one early meeting when Salke referred to James Bond by a dreaded word: ‘content.’ Using such a sterile term, one friend reflected, was like a ‘death knell’ to Broccoli,” the WSJ reports. Another unidentified employee, also rocked the boat when they allegedly said “I have to be honest. I don’t think James Bond is a hero,” during a meeting about season two of the Bond-based reality series, “007: Road to a Million.”
It seems Amazon has a slew of ideas, including a female Bond series and a Moneypenny spinoff. All of which Broccoli has used her contractual power to reject. A source is even claiming Broccoli said “these people are fucking idiots.” As well as sharing the advice, “don’t have temporary people make permanent decisions.”
Broccoli also seems concerned the future of James Bond will be streaming, not the big screen. Something that shouldn’t be an issue with the MGM acquisition. And calling the franchise “content” certainly doesn’t sound like future projects are distended for theaters.
Diehard fans are probably more than aware of lulls in Bond films. Most notably in the six-year gaps between 1989’s “Licence to Kill” starring Timothy Dalton and 1995’s “GoldenEye” with Pierce Brosnan, as well as Craig’s 2015 “Spectre” and 2021’s “No Time to Die.” These delays are normally due to shifts in the actors portraying the character, not an issue between the creator and the license holder.
The Future of The Franchise
There is no telling what the future holds for the relationship between Broccoli and Amazon. But in our experience, if there is enough money to be made, people tend to find ways to work together. For now, only time will tell when we will see another James Bond film.
The entire 007 film catalog, which is celebrating 62 years, is available to stream via Prime Video.
