- Deal means MGM Amazon Studios now have creative control of Bond franchise
- Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have stepped down from their roles
- Still speculation about who will be the next James Bond
The Broccoli family are no longer in control of the James Bond franchise with Amazon MGM Studios taking over – so what does this mean for the future of 007?
A deal has been struck that sees Amazon MGM Studios take over creative control of the Bond franchise from long-time heads Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
This deal will mean that for the first time a member of the Broccoli family will not be in charge of the Bond franchise. Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli launched the Bond films in 1962 and control passed to his daughter, Barbara, and stepson, Wilson, after that.
The 25th Bond film in the series, No Time To Die, was released in 2021. That was also the final outing for Daniel Craig as 007.
Creative control
In a statement, it was explained that Barbara Broccoli and Wilson will remain as “co-owner of the franchise, but Amazon MGM Studios will have creative control.
“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,” said Wilson. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
Barbara Broccoli, 64, had a similar sentiment. “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.”
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, added: “We are honored to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
What next for James Bond
The deal means that Amazon will decide who will be the next James Bond actor and what the next movie in the franchise will be.
There has been constant speculation about who would take over from Daniel Craig ever since the last Bond film was released in 2021. There are various names linked with the role, including Theo James and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. You can read more about who will be the next James Bond here.
The lack of announcement can now possibly be explained by this deal being in the pipeline.
Hopefully, now the deal has been struck, there will be more an announcement of when the 26th Bond film will go into production too. Back in 2022, Barbara Broccoli said an announcement was “a couple of years off”, according to Variety, but that deadline came and went and nothing was announced.
You can read everything we know about Bond 26 here.
It also means that Amazon could revamp the Bond franchise and shake the character and stories up.
There is also the possibility that the Bond universe could be expanded. Thus far, Bond has only ever been on the big screen, but given Amazon’s presence in streaming, then there could be spin-offs involving Bond or characters from the films.
