Since the release of “No Time To Die”(2021), it has been up in the air which direction the franchise would take after Daniel Craig’s last outing as the fearless Agent 007. Some thought the franchise would end and lay dormant for years. Others believed that another company would attempt to continue it into new IPs. Well, those who leaned towards the latter were onto something because a development in that scenario has become concrete.
Amazon MGM Studios has announced they formed a new partnership between sibling producer Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli to acquire the James Bond franchise. Those parties will remain co-owners of the IP rights, but Amazon will have creative control. It’s shockingly bittersweet considering Broccoli’s statement years prior about “don’t have temporary people make permanent decisions” and the legal feud between the two parties. Amazon has also eyed Amy Pascal (“Spiderman” and the Sony distribution of James Bond “Skyfall”) and David Heyman (“Harry Potter”) to oversee the direction of the franchise.
There is thought behind the franchise’s potential installment. However, there is also a fear that James Bond could be bastardized by corporate direction. In smaller words, it is becoming a property that Amazon will pump out endless spinoffs and expansions similar to Marvel and Star Wars. That’s something that the movie community is not a fan of, but corporations will do anything to make that profit.
Though, one thing that should be honored is Broccoli’s vision for the franchise. It’s a known fact that James Bond has always been envisioned as British and a male. Anything that steers clear from that vision should not be entertained. Actors such as Idris Elba, James Norton, Tom Hardy, Sope Dirisu, and Henry Cavil are the perfect types to portray Agent 007. If you venture away from that promise, then the series will be doomed under a real-life Bond villain, and that is not something a cinephile wants to witness.
