What’s Behind the Amazon Takeover James Bond?
Movieguide® Contributor
Last month, EON Productions shocked James Bond fans with the news that it’s selling the long-running spy franchise to Amazon.
This move doesn’t make sense to many, as half-siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were staunch protectors of their father’s company, EON, responsible for all 25 movies since the character first came on screen in 1962.
The pair’s lives practically revolved around the Bond movies since childhood. After the siblings’ father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, stepped down, the pair produced every Bond movie since 1995.
“It’s always been like a family,” said one cast member. “There are stories about Cubby on the set making pasta for everybody.”
“And it was the same with Barbara and Michael,” the cast member continued. “They became the center of the family. They were always there.”
Cubby is known to have told his kids, “Don’t let anybody else screw it up. can screw it up if you want to, but don’t let other people screw it up.”
So why are Barbara and Wilson selling their legacy?
“For Barbara and Michael, it’s always been franchise first,” said one person who knows them well. “Nothing else got in the way.”
EON Productions has partnered with MGM since the 90s, and Amazon purchased MGM in 2022, a year after NO TIME TO DIE came out—the most recent Bond movie. The Bond franchise is what Amazon’s been after—with ideas to turn it into a Bondverse similar to Marvel’s universe. But Barbara and Wilson didn’t want that to happen. Now, it seems, they’ve given in.
“It’s not something we’ve ever wanted to do,” Barbara said.
“We just try to focus on making good pictures, and it takes time; it takes a couple of years. Putting all that energy into making 10 or 20 hours of a TV show—that’s a big commitment. We’d have to delegate to do that. And we’ve been very reluctant to delegate,” Wilson said of his fears about letting go of creative control.
Wilson also recently retired, which is said to be another reason why they decided to sell. Barbara didn’t have the stamina to continue with the years-long Bond productions and studio disagreements on her lonesome.
Related: James Bond Star Leaves Hollywood for Family
The EON switchover has put a stall on the next movie—there hasn’t been any news of a script development yet. It’s been 4 years since the last Bond movie came out, and it’ll likely be another 3 years, if not more, for the next one to come out. This means the record for the largest gap between one Bond movie and another will likely be broken. The current record (6 years) is held between 1989’s LICENCE TO KILL and 1995’s GOLDEN EYE, Screen Rant observed.
While there’s no solid development for the next movie, The Daily Mail confirmed this week that the next Bond will remain British and male—melting rumors that there could be a gender swap.
The primary concern from fans is that whatever approach Amazon takes, the quality won’t be there.
“People think they know James Bond because they know the iconography of the martini and the gun and the gadgets,” summarized John Cork, who wrote the Bond Bible—an EON guide for all things Bond. “But there is a very particular set of things that occur below the surface that have kept the character resonating for over 60 years.”
Whether Amazon is up to the task remains skeptical, but if the company throws in maximum effort, it could have a chance at pulling off another thrilling film.
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