What does the Amazon takeover mean for the future of James Bond?
Could we see a Q spin-off show?
Creative control over the future of James Bond has been handed over to Amazon in ‘a new joint venture’.
Amazon Studios officially purchased MGM for $8.45billion (£6.7billion) in 2022 and with it came a stake in the beloved franchise.
A new agreement over creative control means Bond — and whoever is next to play the martini-drinking spy — is about to be thoroughly shaken, not stirred.
This is scary news for many fans given the creative direction of the films has been overseen by family-run Eon Productions since 007 first came to the silver screen.
The company was founded by acclaimed Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli and is now owned by his children, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.
While this huge deal does not mean the legacy producers will step away entirely and leave MI6 in the hands of big studio bosses, there are bound to be some changes.
Fans are worried 007 could become an oversaturated franchise (Picture: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)This deal has been rumbling away behind the scenes for a while now, with creative control looking unlikely for Amazon for a while.
The studio now owns 50% of the franchise, with Barbara, 64, and Michael, 83, maintaining co-ownership status.
However, creative decisions have been handed over as the siblings look to other projects and Michael takes a step back from filmmaking into retirement.
What has Barbara Broccoli said about Amazon?Previously, this move seemed unimaginable as Barbara shared some cutting thoughts on Amazon’s creative direction.
In December, a report in the Wall Street Journal, pointed at growing tensions as the producer believed she could ‘hold Bond hostage from Amazon for as long as she sees fit’.
The report claimed she didn’t see the studio as a good fit and she was quoted saying: ‘Don’t have temporary people make permanent decisions’ — something her father once said.
