‘007’ series in turmoil as producers, Amazon can’t agree on franchise: ‘I don’t think James Bond is a hero’
The next installment in the “James Bond” franchise is still in development limbo due to a rift between the series’ main producer and its new owners, Amazon.
In a report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon — which bought MGM studios in 2021 — are in an “ugly stalemate” over decisions about the future of the franchise. These include decisions on whether Bond should be turned into a streaming series, or more philosophical ones, like whether the titular character is even a hero.
“I have to be honest, I don’t think James Bond is a hero,” one Amazon executive said during a recent meeting about upcoming Bond content, the outlet reported. That quote seemed to point to Broccoli’s fear that Amazon does not understand the very character that she has dedicated her career to.
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Broccoli, who has had creative control over the “007” film franchise for over thirty years, “has told friends she doesn’t trust algorithm-centric Amazon with a character she helped to mythologize through big-screen storytelling and gut instinct,” WSJ reported.
According to the report, the relationship between Broccoli and Bond’s new owners is so rocky, that as recently as this fall, Broccoli “characterized the status of a new movie in dire terms—no script, no story and no new Bond.” This lack of momentum in the franchise nearly three years after the last movie, 2021’s “No Time To Die” is unprecedented for a series that used to have an installment nearly every year or two since it began in the 60s.
“These people are f— idiots,” Broccoli has reportedly told her friends about Amazon executives.
WSJ spoke to 20 people familiar with the Amazon-Broccoli feud to understand the nature of the stalemate, writing that it “boils down to a clash between the 20th-century Hollywood of big screens and big swings and a new entertainment industry ruled by Silicon Valley firms that prize data, algorithms and streaming subscriptions.”
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Broccoli “has complained that Amazon isn’t a good home for Bond, since the company’s core business is selling everything from toilet paper to vacuums,” the report stated, though it noted she didn’t speak out against Amazon purchasing MGM because she “didn’t want to complicate what many in Hollywood viewed as a massive payout for MGM’s owners.”
As part of the deal, MGM executives ensured that Amazon committed to putting Bond on the big screen instead of relegating the franchise to a streaming series. The outlet noted that when one eager Amazon executive floated the idea of various Bond TV spin-offs, including a potential “Moneypenny” spin-off, or a female 007 spin-off, Broccoli shot the idea down.
“Did you read the contract?” she reportedly replied.
For the last several years, Broccoli has fended off a variety of ideas within the industry that Bond could take on a different identity in terms of gender or race in upcoming films. But as the outlet reported, she believes the spy “should always be played by a man, and should always be played by a Brit.”
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WSJ also mentioned Broccoli shooting down Bond villain ideas inspired by current real-world figures that some people see as evil.
“’Elon Musk?’ she said to one friend. ‘I did that back in 1997.’” Broccoli was referencing the villain from that year’s 007 franchise, “Tomorrow Never Dies.” The outlet described that villain as “a wealthy tycoon whose global media empire includes a satellite network.”
Liberal media outlets and Democratic lawmakers have grasped onto a new talking point recently, as the incoming administration gets ready to enter the White House — Elon Musk is a “shadow” president, taking the reins from President-elect Donald Trump.
WSJ rounded out its report with one last example of the tense relationship between Broccoli and Amazon. It noted that during her acceptance speech at a film industry awards show in November, “she did not mention Amazon.”
Amazon did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
