‘007’ series in turmoil as producers, Amazon can’t agree on franchise

The next installment in the “James Bond” franchise is still in development limbo due to a rift between the series’ lead producer and its new owners, Amazon.

IN a report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon – which bought the MGM studios in 2021 – are at an “ugly impasse” over decisions about the future of the franchise. These include decisions about whether to turn Bond into a streaming series, or more philosophical ones like whether the titular character is a hero at all.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think James Bond is a hero,” an 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 doesn’t understand the character she’s dedicated her career to.

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Amazon and top “Bond” producer Barbara Broccoli are reportedly at an “ugly impasse” over the future of the “James Bond” franchise. (Getty Images)

Broccoli, who has had creative control over the “007” franchise for over thirty years, “has told friends she doesn’t trust algorithm-centric Amazon with a character she helped mythologize through big-screen storytelling and gut instinct,” WSJ reported.

According to the report, relations between Broccoli and Bond’s new owners are so rocky that as recently as this fall, Broccoli “characterized the status of a new film in dire terms – no script, no story and no new Bond.” This lack of momentum in the franchise almost three years after the last film, 2021’s “No Time To Die” is unprecedented for a series that used to have an installment almost every one or two years since it started in the 60s.

“These people are f— idiots,” Broccoli reportedly told his friends about Amazon executives.

The WSJ spoke to 20 people familiar with the Amazon-Broccoli feud to understand the nature of the impasse, writing that it “boils down to a clash between 20th century Hollywood with big screens and big swings and a new entertainment industry controlled by Silicon Valley companies that reward data, algorithms and streaming subscriptions.”

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Actor Daniel Craig’s fifth and final role as James Bond was in the 2021 film No Time to Die. (Karwai Tang)

Broccoli “has complained that Amazon is not a good home for Bond, as the company’s core business is selling everything from toilet paper to vacuum cleaners,” the report said, although it noted that she did not speak out against Amazon’s purchase of MGM because she “did not want to complicate what many in Hollywood viewed as a massive payout to MGM’s owners.”

As part of the deal, MGM executives ensured that Amazon committed to putting Bond on the big screen rather than relegating the franchise to a streaming series. The outlet noted that when an 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 allegedly replied.

For the past several years, Broccoli has fended off a number of ideas in the industry that Bond might take on a different identity in terms of gender or race in future 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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The WSJ also mentioned Broccoli shooting down Bond villain ideas inspired by current real-world characters that some people see as villains.

“‘Elon Musk?’ she told a friend, ‘I did that back in 1997.'” Broccoli was referencing the villain from that year’s 007 series, “Tomorrow Never Dies.” The outlet described that villain as “a wealthy tycoon whose global media empire includes a satellite network.”

Liberal media and Democratic lawmakers have seized on a new talking point recently as the incoming administration prepares to enter the White House – Elon Musk is a “shadow” president taking the reins from President-elect Donald Trump.

The WSJ rounded off its report with one final example of the strained 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 respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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