Amazon Now Has Creative Control Over James Bond

Live and let Prime. Amazon is taking over creative control of the famed James Bond franchise from its longtime producers, the company announced yesterday.

The deal is a culmination of an off-camera deadlock between Amazon and Barbara Broccoli, who, along with her brother Michael G. Wilson, inherited control of the Bond franchise from their father. The family maintained ironclad control over the IP for more than 60 years.

Pure gold(finger). Under a new joint venture, creative control will go to MGM Studios, which Amazon acquired in 2022 for $8.5 billion, while the two Broccoli family members will remain co-owners in the franchise. It’s a boon for Amazon—the 25 Bond films have made a collective $6 billion at the domestic box office—and a shocking about-face by the Broccolis:

• Broccoli and Wilson previously controlled every creative decision, from casting to dialogue to advertising.
• The two had reportedly clashed with Amazon over the franchise’s future, fearing over-commercialization could weaken the character’s cachet.

Mum’s the word…there’s been no sign of what’s next for 007 since No Time to Die came out in 2021, ending Daniel Craig’s storied run as the British spy. But the deal augurs a new era of Bond that will likely get the Amazon treatment with spin-offs, TV series, and maybe even a Bezos Royale.—CC