Re: [NEWS] Amazon given full control of James Bond

On 2/20/2025 7:41 PM, Your Name wrote:
> 
> 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>

Bond cinema gave us a much longer run than we were entitled to.  I hope 
Broccoli got a whole bunch of lettuce...