Big changes today over at Amazon MI5 — we mean, Amazon MGM. It’s set to take over creative control of the James Bond franchise, taking over the reins from the Broccoli family who have been 007’s silver screen stewards for decades.
Long time producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will form a new joint venture alongside Amazon MGM Studios, with each party remaining co-owners of the franchise. But, crucially, the deal sees Broccoli and Wilson step away from creative ownership for the future direction of the franchise.
“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,” said Wilson of the announcement.
“Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli,” added Broccoli.
“I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. 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.”
On Her Majesty’s Streaming Service
Though a somewhat shocking announcement, given how closely tied the Broccoli family is to the Bond name, there’s an inevitability to the news.
Amazon bought MGM back in 2022 for $8.5 billion, gaining a giant catalogue of 4,000-plus films and more than 17,000 shows in the process — among them the rights to the James Bond films. Amazon MGM Studios was born, and it felt the long-term writing was on the wall.
But the Broccoli family have been incredibly protective over the franchise over the decades, ensuring a consistent level of quality that has eluded most other long-running franchises. This extended not only over the control of key casting decision — e.g. who would play James Bond in each iteration of the franchise — but also where the universe could be extended beyond the films. It’s why we haven’t seen a million James Bond spin-off shows over the years, even since the Amazon acquisition.
Now though? Those floodgates can open. James Bond TV shows, spin-off movies, the works, and a whole new team picking who takes on that iconic Double-O codename. For better or worse? We’ll have to see. But given the only new Bond stuff we’ve had since Amazon got involved was the atrocious 007: Road to a Million reality TV show, we might need a few martinis to keep from being shaken and/or stirred.
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