The day the earth stood still, the day when a 60 year old film franchise finally changed hands. Today it was announced that Amazon MGM Studios have taken creative control over the James Bond franchise. In the shock news announced today, it was revealed that longtime executors of the franchise, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, have formed a new joint venture with Amazon MGM Studios.
Barbara Broccoli is the 64 year old daughter of Albert R Broccoli, the original Hollywood producer of the films, and she has carefully guarded the franchise for years since her father’s death. Broccoli has managed this alongside Michael G. Wilson, her step brother. The duo have been commended regularly over the years for imbuing class, legacy and prestige to the franchise that has continued for over six decades, cementing itself as a cultural phenomenon, with ‘Who do you think is going to be the next James Bond’ as common as comments on who will win the next general election. The future of the franchise however has been in a stalemate since No Time to Die in 2021, with no studio, script and crucially – no Bond – attached for the next iteration.
The film industry was sent into a tailspin on Thursday as the news was announced that Amazon had controlling rights to James Bond. Now that the franchise is no longer a family heirloom that has been carefully protected in a glass case over the years, there is doubt cast over a beloved character and story that could be mercilessly squeezed to a pulp by a technology conglomerate. Change is not always bad however, and maybe Amazon’s extraordinarily deep tech pockets will allow it to make one of the biggest Bond’s yet with the biggest directing names in the business. On the other hand, it may get its way and create dreaded spin-off shows because they can. Only time will tell how Jeff Bezos will handle the beloved franchise. But for now, the news leaves an industry both shaken and stirred.
FILM FOR THOUGHT 