Amazon MGM Studios takes creative control of the James Bond films, while longtime producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli step down, though they will still remain co-owners of the franchise.
«More than 60 years ago, James Bond became one of the most iconic characters in film,» says Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. «We’re grateful to the late Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to theaters around the world, and to Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unwavering dedication and role in continuing the legacy. We are now honored to take over and look forward to bringing the next phase of the legendary 007 to audiences around the world.
Wilson, who has dedicated 60 long years to the franchise, said he will now focus on art and charitable projects, as will his colleague Broccoli:
«My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building on the extraordinary legacy that Michael and I have been given by our producer father. I have had the privilege of working closely with the four extraordinarily talented actors who have played 007 and the thousands of great artists in the industry. With the release of A Time to Die and Michael’s retirement from filmmaking, I feel it’s time to focus on other projects».
Amazon acquired MGM Studios in 2022, gaining a large catalog of more than 4,000 movies and 17,000 TV shows, as well as the distribution rights to all James Bond films.
«007: No Time to Die» — is the 25th James Bond film and Daniel Craig’s last appearance in the role. The film was released in 2021 and earned $775 million. Since then, there have been no official announcements about production timelines or a new actor, but late last year, producers said that looking for a man 30+, and possibly black (he will play the character for the next 10 years).
Finally, let’s give a little bit of a rumor about what might have caused this abrupt change: a recent Wall Street Journal report revealed some behind-the-scenes issues. Broccoli and Amazon allegedly had a long argument over the creative direction of the franchise, due to the company starting to push for «Marvel-style» ideas to expand the Bond story to include several additional shows and possibly other films. Broccoli instead called the people at Amazon «idiots» and eventually refused to make any new films under their banner No doubt now that the issue has been resolved, Broccoli and Wilson will receive a large payout, and Amazon/MGM will be able to do whatever they want with Bond. There is also a feeling that the previous casting announcements also came from the studio, not the producers.
Source: Variety
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