Hollywood Is Not Thrilled That Amazon Is In Control Of James Bond
Amazon, of course, had purchased MGM, Bond’s longtime home, in 2022 for $8.5 billion, mostly to get its hands on 007 IP and build it into a Marvel-style universe filled with bingeable TV spinoffs. The only things stopping them were Broccoli and Wilson, who had very different ideas for their father’s legacy, as well as a decades-long deal with MGM guaranteeing them creative dominion over all things Bond. But now that they’re out of the picture, Amazon can do whatever it wants. A TV show about Moneypenny? Why not. A prequel about Blofeld’s teenage years? Sure. More 007 game shows? Please no. But anything is possible. Amazon is now free to milk the franchise dry.
...it all came to a head in December, a month after Broccoli and Wilson picked up the Thalberg at the Governors Awards. That’s when The Wall Street Journal published a piece detailing the chilly state of affairs between Amazon and the Broccolis in which Barbara is quoted as telling friends that Amazon executives were “fucking idiots.” Not surprisingly, those choice words did not go over well with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. “He read her quote in the Journal and got on the phone and said, ‘I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her,’ ” is how one insider describes what happened, confirming that what Bezos ended up paying for the franchise was close to a billion dollars.
Osgood Perkins, who has become one of the most bankable horror filmmakers thanks to hits like “Longlegs” and “The Monkley,” recently took part in a Reddit AMA (via IndieWire) and was asked: “Are you open to directing a Bond movie/trilogy? If so, who would you cast as your version of Bond?”
Perkins immediately shot down the question by answering: “No, because fuck Jeff Bezos.”
...one filmmaker whose name has come up a ton in the rumor mill is Edward Berger. The German director behind Oscar winners “Conclave” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” was rumored to be in talks with Broccoli and Wilson prior to Amazon’s takeover. He denied the talks while speaking to Variety’s Marc Malkin on the 2025 Oscars red carpet and said that Amazon being in control of 007 has shifted his interest in joining the franchise.
“Barbara Broccoli is no longer doing it and she is at the heart of this project, so I think it’s something different,” Berger said when asked if he’d direct a Bond movie. “I don’t know. Things have changed. We will certainly miss her very much.”
Berger added that he was “100%” interested in Bond when Broccoli was in control of the franchise, but “now it’s a different equation. I don’t know what the future is going to look like. I am going to think about it if anyone calls me, but Barbara is at the heart of this. If she is no longer there it becomes a different thing.”
ICYMI, long time steward of the James Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli, has stepped back and given control to Amazon.
When the news initially dropped that Amazon was getting sole control of Bond, people were pissed. Fans, casual watchers, etc. What I personally expected is that, on the industry end, it really wouldn't mean much. Actors and directors would still be interested because it's James Bond. But for a director like Edward Berger to back out now that Bezos is in control is a pretty big deal. This guy is an Oscar darling who actually reminds me a ton of Sam Mendes, director of the best James Bond movie in 'Skyfall'. (Side note, Osgood Perkins couldn't have landed a Bond movie if Ian Fleming was his grandfather.)
After having some time to think about it, I think two things can be true with the James Bond franchise.
1. IT could use some freshening up. Something new stylistically with the next iteration of the character to keep things fresh. And as much as I mocked the idea of spinoffs, weirder things have worked out. Like the writer of the THR article noted, should something like 'The Penguin' have worked?
2. I don't trust Amazon as the ones to do it. Mostly because their track record with expensive franchises so far is not great. Working down the list of their most expensive per episode series:
- The Rings of Power: Not good
- Citadel: Not Good
- Fallout: Very good!
- The Boys: Kind of a mixed bag. (Feels like the minute Amazon realized it was a hit, they started interfering more and the quality went down)
- The Man in the High Castle: Not Good
- The Wheel of Time: Not Good
They seem to think that the more money they spend on a series, the higher the quality must be which is not the case. So what should the next step for Amazon be? If you ask me, they need to find their Feige. Who could that be? I'd say Jonathan Nolan. He's already worked with them on 'Fallout' and he has a fantastic resume having written 'Memento', 'The Prestige', 'The Dark Knight', and 'Interstellar'. On top of that, His brother has long been rumored as a choice to direct a new grouping of Bond movies and this move could help that happen.