[NEWS] Amazon given full control of James Bond

After many months and reportedly calling Amazon "idiots", Barbaba 
Broccoli now simply hands the entire franchise over to them. I guess 
the number of zeroes on the cheque changed her mind. Now fans can no 
doubt expect loads of Political Correctness silliness and a massive 
cash-in exercise of spin-offs ruining yet another franchise. :-\



    James Bond's long-serving producers give control to Amazon
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    The James Bond film franchise will no longer be controlled
    by the Broccoli dynasty, after long-serving masterminds
    Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson announced they are
    stepping down.

    The Bond films were launched by Albert "Cubby" Broccoli in
    1962, before his daughter and stepson took over.

    The pair will now give creative control to Amazon MGM
    Studios, which was formed when Amazon bought Bond's parent
    studio in 2022.

    The new deal comes after mounting speculation about the fate
    of the British spy, four years after his last outing in
    No Time to Die, which was also Daniel Craig's final
    appearance in the role.

    Amazon will now decide which actor will take over the famous
    character, but there is still no timescale for when that
    that will happen or when the next film will be made.

    James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James are among
    the bookmakers' favourites to fill Craig's shoes.

    After Thursday's announcement, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
    canvassed fans' opinion on social media, asking: "Who'd you
    pick as the next Bond?"

    A statement said Broccoli and Wilson will "remain co-owners
    of the franchise" as part of a new joint venture but Amazon
    MGM Studios "will gain creative control".

    Wilson, 83, 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, 64, added: "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 honour 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."

    Cubby Broccoli launched the iconic franchise with co-producer
    Harry Saltzman, and was joined by Wilson as a producing partner
    for 1985's A View to a Kill.

    Barbara took over from her father to join Wilson as a producer
    for 1995's GoldenEye, and the pair have overseen every Bond
    film since through their Eon production house.

    They kept tight control of the character - something that was
    acknowledged by Craig when he presented them with honorary
    Oscars in November. "Over the years many people and
    organisations have tried to put their own footprint on Bond,"
    he said.

    "Barbara, Michael, I can't tell you how much I admire your
    integrity in holding on to your singular vision as you brought
    Bond into the 21st Century with a passionate and a protective
    determination to honour the heart of this franchise."


    'Next phase' for 007
    In 2021, when Amazon agreed to take over MGM, which shared the
    rights to Bond with Eon, Broccoli and Wilson said they would
    keep creative control.

    However, they have now relinquished the reins, and the deal
    raises the prospect of a rethink and an expansion of the
    franchise.

    The US giant could commission more streaming spin-offs, for
    example, such as how the Star Wars universe has been expanded
    on Disney+.

    Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios,
    said: "We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and
    look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007
    for audiences around the world."

    Last year, Amazon launched the first spin-off TV series,
    007: Road to a Million, hosted by Succession star Brian Cox.

    It featured nine teams in a race to win £1m each through a
    series of spy-themed challenges. However, that series was
    poorly received by some fans and critics and Cox later joked
    that he signed on to the project thinking it was the next James
    Bond film.

    News of Thursday's deal helps to explain why there has been a
    long delay without any announcement about a 26th official Bond
    film, or its star.

    Given how much time it takes to make a blockbuster movie, the
    gap between No Time To Die and the next film could break the
    six-year record for the longest period between Bond releases.

    Last August, the Telegraph's chief film critic Robbie Collin
    wrote that there was "no script, no title, not even a director"
    for a new instalment.

    In October, Amazon MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke told the
    Guardian there were "a lot of different ways we can go" with the
    franshise, and that "we don't want too much time between films,
    but we are not concerned at this point".

    She also said the company had "a good and close relationship"
    with Broccoli and Wilson.

    However in December, the Wall Street Journal reported that
    "the relationship between the family that oversees the franchise
    and the e-commerce giant has all but collapsed".

    The newspaper also claimed that Broccoli had privately described
    Amazon as "idiots".


    <https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mn9gz5x3mo>