Amazon/MGM takes control of 007, James Bond casting underway
Amazon MGM Studios, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today announced that they have formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights, and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise. Under the terms of the new venture, Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control of the James Bond franchise following closing of the transaction.
"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.” commented Broccoli.
Proper end of an era stuff.
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And that’s all she wrote, folks. I’m sorry to see Babs throw in the towel. Sign of the times though. These people are, quite literally, taking over everything and we’re all just sitting around letting it happen. We’ll get what we deserve.
Shocking. Positively shocking.
Well, not really. Michael Wilson's involvement seemed to be diminishing with each movie (understandable given his age) and Barbara Broccoli didn't seem to have the laser focus for Bond and only Bond like her father did, especially over the past few years. While I am a little surprised their children never really picked up the mantle, overall I was kind of expecting a passing of the baton like this sooner or later.
I think the headline should have been "Broccoli and Wilson finally concede that they have no interest in the Bond franchise and acquiesce to eye watering pay off . Amazon to actually do something with the franchise"
I guess it's called evolution Barbara and Micheal could not go on forever and they were going to time out eventually. Must have been a tough call to make.
Standby for a Bond Multiverse probably driven by profit than quality of the character or storyline itself. Most if not all the Flemming's work has now been converted to cinema, so time an opportunity for a fresh start - we will just have to see where it all ends up I guess.
Naturally the end of an era for the family.
The comments like 'I do not see Bond as a Hero' and 'Bond as content' its clear the execs at Amazon see the franchise as a product they want (and have to) milk for all it will give.
Interesting time ahead 😎
Armageddon.
Yeah, it's a worry. Bond was very close to their hearts, now it's in American hands and people, who, frankly, aren't amazing at making films recently. I guess we'll get a new Bond film, 2027 even seems possible now, but will it be any good? I certainly hope so, but it seems less certain.
What on earth changed?
They've expressed for years now their intention to eventually hand it down to the next generation of Broccolis / Wilsons. So much for not letting temporary people make permanent decisions.
Honestly not sure what to make of this. I've made no secret of not enjoying the direction they took the series post-Quantum, but this feels like the ultimate slap in the face.
I guess 'legacy' didn't matter after all.
I am worried about the direction Amazon will try to take the franchise. Boom or bust potential written all over this.
It will be interesting to see how this affects the selection of a new Bond. The talk over the last few years has been for a younger Bond to reboot the franchise. I wonder if some 'older' gents might get consideration again.
The comment made in the 'f#cking idiots' story was that Amazon were concerned about the track record of the actor playing Bond, indicating they didn't want an unknown playing it.
I think for Henry Cavill fans this could be his way back, then again Cavill seems to have blackened his name with producers as he seems very difficult to work with. They didn't want him back as Superman despite his online popularity.
But I wonder if Barbara's comment about Bond has to be British indicates Amazon were looking beyond British actors, meaning American.
It's not like Cubby didn't screen test Americans for the role.
I think we could have a Bond film next year with filming starting in January. I don't think Amazon will rest on their laurels.
...and here comes the content.
I’d say it’s 50-50 that we get an American. As an American myself, I think that’s garbage.
Surprising news. Certainly feels like the end of an era. Will be interesting to see where it now takes us. Imagine we'll get some new film news before too long now.
Getting the right director and actor is half the battle in making a good Bond film, so hopefully they get that right, at least. Hoping for the best🤞
Worrying news but not unexpected.
I can see them doing a TV series. Maybe a "Young Bond" spin-off 😂
On the plus side, they might speed up the rate they churn out the films at. I can see it being quantity over quality however...
It's unclear whether the Broccolis will still have a say in what's done with the rights: they do remain co-owners. I guess it depends what the nature of this new venture is and whether they've sold a percent and there's a controlling partner or whether it's equal ownership.
Oh geesh... well... agreed that its a 50-50 possibility of being great or trash... From a nostalgic standpoint, its sad to see Barbara and Michael go... but then they did Kill off 007 in NTTD and also insert that totally ridiculous back and forth sub plot with Naomi being the "new 007".. Bond has a kid... it was - in all fairness - kinda lame to say the least..
But... Amazon could make it even worse... 😂 But t hen again, Amazon did do the Jack Ryan series.. not bad.. The Night Manager.. really good ... as well as a few other at least "watchable" series... its just that Bond films weren't just "watchable" movies.. they were something bigger for us... feels like even if what they create is decent.. the brand is about to be watered down .... hope not.. but who knows.
It'll be good to have Sean Connery back as Bond.
The BBC's angle:
I'll say this--I'm happy that SOMETHING is finally happening on the Bond front. As for my hopes and expectations, here's what I got:
Best-case scenario: Production on a new film starts soon, put together by a new team that respects the Eon films and the Fleming novels and has some interesting tweaks in mind that will keep Bond fresh as we near the mid-21st century.
Worst-case scenario: Amazon sees this as a cash-cow and starts cranking out films and spinoff series that cater solely to focus-grouped tastes and drain Bond of everything that makes him good and valuable. But since Babs and Mike didn't sell to Disney, that scenario might not happen.
Agreed. This is definitely a 'one door closes/another door opens' moment. I'm not thrilled about any conglomerate getting its greasy mitts on James Bond. We risk going from half a decade between films...to overexposure in short order. I'm also concerned about the integrity of the character moving forward.
But this is like fretting over the weather. To quote the prophet Doris Day: Que sera sera.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
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Does this mean it is not EON anymore?
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Can't say I'm thrilled at this news. I hope I'm wrong but I can see spin-offs and universes being considered and quality dipping.
I didn't like the connected stories/universe they established for the DC films.
Bummer… franchised oblivion it is then :-(
Yup: no more 'Albert R Broccoli's Eon Productions Present..'
May the next creative decision-maker be a James Bond fan 😳 As perhaps the charter member of the AJB 'Give Craig a Chance' lobby during the Craig Wars [TM], I have always tried to be a voice of optimism here, re: Bond's future, and I will stay that course. But there's no denying the magnitude of this fork in the road.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I am looking forward to what Barbel makes out if this in the imaginatory conversations 🍻
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
I'm about halfway through a long story there at the moment and don't want to interrupt it so there will be a bit of a delay, unfortunately. Although being Bond fans we're used to a bit of a delay...
Well, this has certainly been shocking and unexpected news. That's especially the case after Barbara Broccoli had been reported as saying Amazon were "effing idiots". It's just sad to see Eon and the Broccolis give up creative control to a conglomerate like Amazon after 64 years in charge of the film Bond. We were lucky that we got 25 good films out of the deal.
That said, I don't want to pre-judge Amazon taking over Bond. Hopefully Barbara and Michael will still be there as backseat observers and they will continue to have an input. So they're not totally gone from Bond. No doubt Amazon made Eon an "offer they couldn't refuse" and they took them up on the offer. Perhaps this was inevitable given that Amazon had bought over MGM/UA and it would only be a matter of time before they'd want the Bond films too? More positively, maybe it will open up some new sources for adaptation that Eon were disinclined to use such as the Bond continuation novels. That would be interesting to see and one positive in all the negatives that this news has engendered today. I always try to think in positive terms and sometimes things work out for the best. I hope this is the case with this news, as surprising as it is to hear today.