The James Bond universe has been shaken, not stirred this morning.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have signed over “creative control of the James Bond franchise” to Amazon MGM Studios, the group announced on Thursday, February 20. The three parties have “formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights,” Amazon announced on Thursday, “and those parties will remain co-owners of the franchise.” But following the close of this JV’s transaction, it will be Amazon MGM Studios that has the final say on creative — a huge deal for huge IP.
“Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment,” Mike Hopkins, the head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. “We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
Broccoli has been the main steward of the coveted franchise for decades. She and Wilson are siblings.
“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,” Wilson said. “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,” Barbara Broccoli said. “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.”
So now it will be Amazon MGM Studios tasked with finding a new James Bond; it won’t be Daniel Craig. There are no planned Bond movies currently in the works. Roger Moore (seven films) and Sean Connery (six) have played the character the most onscreen. Craig is not far behind, with five Bond films under his belt, and had the longest tenure as Agent 007 (2006-2021).
In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion. For the money, it gained a catalogue of more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows. Since the MGM acquisition, Amazon has held rights to distribute all of the James Bond films. Today, it took things one giant step further.
