Eon Productions
For 62 years, the James Bond franchise has been one of the surest things going in the film industry. The character created by novelist Ian Fleming is an indelible figure in the global popular culture; just about everyone has heard of the MI6 agent with a license to kill, to the point where they know his preferred drink order. The property has had its down periods (the lowest being the interregnum between Timothy Dalton's box office disappointment "License to Kill" and Pierce Brosnan's 007 debut in "GoldenEye"), but it's never stayed down for more than one movie. Every generation has grown up on one James Bond or another, and the debate over who did it best is one of the more enjoyable discussions in filmdom – primarily because most people can agree no one did it poorly.
Of late, the major Bond speculation has been over who will succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond after he bid a very final farewell to the character in 2021's "No Time to Die." Since it's been three years, and the longest span between movies has been the aforementioned five-year hiatus separating Dalton and Brosnan, fans have become understandably anxious over the lack of an announcement regarding anything to do with a new Bond movie. No new 007, no director, no screenwriters, and no semblance of a post-Craig plan.
According to a just-published article from The Wall Street Journal, fans shouldn't get their hopes up for a new film heading into production anytime soon because Amazon Studios and Bond producer Barbara Broccoli are at an impasse as to which way to take forward. As of right now, they aren't even talking. Who's to blame?
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli thinks the executives at Amazon Studios are 'idiots'
Eon Productions
When Amazon Studios plopped down $6.5 billion to purchase MGM in 2021, it did so with high hopes for capitalizing on the studio's numerous franchises like "Rocky," "Legally Blonde," and "The Pink Panther." The crown jewel, of course, was James Bond, which was entering a new phase and thus appeared ripe for expansion.
Barbara Broccoli, who inherited the franchise from her father Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, has very particular ideas about who and what James Bond should be. He will always be a British man, and he's not to be treated like a growth industry that can be built out and commodified every which way until the property has been sucked dry of value. So, when Amazon Studio honcho Jennifer Salke began floating ideas about a film centered on M's secretary Miss Moneypenny (who'd become a part of the action as portrayed by Naomie Harris in the Craig movies) and spinoff television series, Broccoli, who has final say on what's to be done with Bond creatively, shut her down.
In the WSJ piece, an unnamed source quotes Broccoli as saying, "These people are f***ing idiots."
Broccoli evidently operates according to a business axiom handed down by her father: "Don't let temporary people make permanent decisions." Given that Bond has basically been the Broccoli family business since the John F. Kennedy administration, Broccoli is fiercely protective of the character. She's proud of the movies, and apparently bristled when Salke referred to them as "content" – which should be a dirty word for anyone who cares about film when it's used in relation to the crafting of the art.
So, it's safe to say that Broccoli won't be moving forward with Amazon Studios under Salke unless it's willing to take its hands off the merchandise and let her guide the movies as she's been accustomed to doing for decades. What does this mean for the future?
James Bond will return, but probably at a different studio
Eon Productions
If Amazon Studios is dead set on turning the Bond franchise into a Marvel Cinematic Universe-inspired factory of films and streaming series, I don't think there's any way it can move forward with Broccoli. Her business is Bond. Every single creative decision will be made under her watch. And while she's proven flexible over the years when it comes to hiring prestige directors like Sam Mendes (who won't be coming back) and Cary Joji Fukunaga, and letting writers other than longtime 007 scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade contribute to the screenplays, she's not going to allow Amazon Studios to grow the franchise by algorithm. The James Bond films might not be high art, but they are a significant piece of film history; moviegoers are still flocking to them, so Broccoli has every reason to exert her leverage. And Amazon Studios, which has a lousy track record of late (just look at its recent overpriced, not-quite-flop "Red One," or, better yet, don't), should know when to keep its distance.
Alas, people who've gulped down the tech-industry Kool-Aid tend to be infuriatingly arrogant and accustomed to getting their way, so the only likely result here will be a separation — i.e. Amazon Studios will have to find a buyer for Bond. Since it'll be selling from a compromised position (in that everyone in town will know it's got no choice but to offload the property), it's unlikely to get a great deal for the character. Broccoli will also have a good bit of say regarding the franchise's destination since no one will spend dollar one on 007 if they think she won't be receptive to their ideas. She probably won't want to deal with the notoriously meddlesome (and clownish) David Zaslav at Warner Bros., so a franchise company like Sony or Paramount would make some sense.
More on the future of James Bond as it develops.