by Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier
When the world’s longest-running film franchise released its last entry in 2021, No Time to Die, the final shot cut to black with the immortal phrase: JAMES BOND WILL RETURN.
These four words have stood at the end of every James Bond film since the first onscreen adventure of secret agent 007 in 1962’s Dr. No.
News that breaks today in Australia, however, suggests that this may no longer be the case.
Long-time producing team behind the James Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, have announced that they are ceding creative control of the 63-year-old film series to Amazon.
Following Amazon’s acquisition of 007 parent studio MGM in 2021, the streaming giant had held significant financial interests in the Bond franchise – but final word of the series’ creative direction always fell upon Broccoli and Wilson.
Their joint custody of the James Bond series has been a mainstay of the franchise that extends back to its inception in 1962.
The daughter of original Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, Barbara rose up through the film industry as a production assistant and creative consultant – she scouted a-ha, for instance, at a club in South London before they were chosen to sing the title track for The Living Daylights – before becoming a producer in her own right.
It was Barbara who steered the ship in 1995 when Pierce Brosnan was appointed the Bond of the ‘90s, rebooting the franchise with GoldenEye after a six-year hiatus. It was Barbara who called the shots in pitting Daniel Craig as the Bond for the post-Bourne Identity era of grittier, more character-driven espionage films in the mid-2000s.
Along with screenwriter and producer Michael G. Wilson, Cubby’s stepson, the pair have guided the Bond franchise through decades of industry changes, from the geopolitical shifts following the fall of the Berlin Wall to the paranoias of the post-9/11 cultural landscape.
That these stable hands have now passed over the creative reins to a streaming giant that also offers next-day delivery on microwaves is not news that sits easily within the Bond community.
Sarah, a longtime Bond fan based in the southwest of England, expresses concerns of the “fan fatigue” suffered by devotees of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, should Amazon begin to crank out Bond films in a swift turnaround.
There are some unavoidable key aspects of the franchise’s long-established identity, though, which can’t be overlooked. “As long as they keep the incredible locations and don’t CGI the fuck out of it,” she says, “I don’t see the problem. It will all be outsourced to the same industry people, anyway.”
As to the overarching direction of the franchise, she feels nothing can be changed by Amazon that hasn’t already taken place in prior reboots within the franchise. “It can never really move forward since there are a finite number of Ian Fleming books. It’s really variations on a theme.”
Given that Amazon are yet to release a statement, the fan isn’t yet too worried as to what directions will be taken. It very much remains to be seen as to who will take the lead on the next Bond reboot, removed from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Alex, a retail manager based in London, feels the move by Amazon is just another revolution of the Bond franchise as it adapts to fresh cultural shifts. The news marks an important point within the Broccoli dynasty, he feels, and how they bring Bond to new audiences.
“They’ve changed the way that the world viewed this character for over 50 years,” referring to Michael G. Wilson’s entry into the Bond franchise as a rights lawyer in 1972, “and how its longevity has been a cultural icon known around the world. By having the rights sold to Amazon, it allows for a new approach and a new way to bring Bond to the next generation of cinephiles.”
The new creative ownership at Amazon allows for new approaches to modernising the character for the smartphone era, where covert operations are no longer the subject of cloak-and-dagger espionage but “fake news” and AI-generated disinformation.
Alex does voice some concerns, however. “The approach that Amazon takes with this new venture needs to ensure that they can attract a new audience, while also making sure not to alienate lovers of the franchise that have been a part of it for so many years.”
The Amazon takeover brings mixed feelings. On one hand, this is likely to accelerate the answer toward the question of who will be the new Bond, following Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021. But it also offers a new, unknown era for the 007 franchise without the guiding hand of its original producers.
While 007 will be back on our screens in one way or another, James Bond Will Return without the influence of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
