A Bond Villain Now Owns James Bond

Amazon's creative takeover means the iconic franchise will likely become thin gruel for "content."

In 2021, Amazon purchased MGM, which gave them the rights to James Bond. At the time, I wrote that they had overpaid because acquiring Bond still meant getting through EON, the company in control of the franchise’s creative direction. I turned out to be right on that score and as recently as two months ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that producer Barbara Broccoli had no patience for Amazon’s ideas and told friends, “These people are fucking idiots.”

But Amazon has all the money in the world, and that was apparently enough to break the longtime partnership between Broccoli and co-producer/step-brother Michael G. Wilson. In a press release, Wilson said, “With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”

Broccoli added (in a tone more of defeat than hope for the future), “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. I have had the honor of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. 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.”

Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die | Image via MGM and EON