Barbara Broccoli’s longstanding beef with Amazon is a big part of what kept the e-commerce giant-turned-studio from producing new James Bond movies following its acquisition of MGM in 2021. But now, it seems like both parties have set aside their differences in order to get the ball rolling on 007’s next chapter.
Today, Amazon MGM, Broccoli, and fellow Bond producer Michael G. Wilson announced the formation of a new joint venture that will give the studio full creative control over the Bond movie franchise. After the deal is finalized, Broccoli and Wilson (who are half-siblings) will remain co-owners of the franchise with Amazon MGM. But in a statement about the deal, both producers were clear about their desires to step back and focus on other endeavors after spending most of their lives working on Bond.
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli,” Broccoli said. “With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.” Wilson echoed his sister’s sentiments and insisted that they trusted Amazon MGM to “lead James Bond into the future.”
Previously, Broccoli — known for making Bond-related decisions based on her own instincts — was very outspoken about her belief that Amazon might ruin the franchise because of its more algorithmically-driven approach to developing entertainment projects. Following the recent announcement, Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos took to his X account to ask his followers who the next Bond should be.
According to a Wall Street Journal report from last December, Broccoli saw Amazon development execs as a bunch of “f— idiots,” and her feelings seemed to be borne out in the way there has not been a new Bond film since 2021’s No Time To Die. It’s not clear what exactly brought Broccoli and Wilson around on the idea of letting Amazon MGM steer the 007 ship. But now that they have, it probably won’t be long before we start hearing what’s next for the iconic character.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
