I always hate to see anything gobbled up by Amazon, but if I’m honest I’d lost interest in new Bond product a long time ago, and I can’t imagine I’d have been any less indifferent if the next film(s) were released by Eon or Bezos. I’ve reached the point with Bond that I have with Star Trek: I recognize and accept that the franchise is still a going concern, but all I really care about is the old stuff. I’ve lost count of how many TV shows, movies, comics, novels, cartoons, etc the Trek sausage mill has ground out but I still only care about TOS. Similarly, they can crank out as much Bond “content” as they like and I will remain focused on the period from DN to TLD, as I have for close to 30 years now.
It’s sad that the Broccoli era has ended, I guess, but for me it pretty much ended with Cubby, anyway. It’s a near certainty I won’t like much of what Amazon does with the property, but as that’s the state I’ve already been living in for years, it’s hard to get too worked up about it. It’s like having a favorite restaurant change owners and suddenly the quality of the food goes downhill even though the menu looks mostly the same. You’re upset at the decline, but then a couple of years later when those owners are replaced by still others, you’ve pretty much moved on, anyway. Not much point in griping about how bad owner #3 is when the last good one was owner #1.
I think the time is right for MGW to step down and enjoy the years he has left, and I think the fun had gone out of it for Babs a long time ago. They put a period on their tenure with a death scene for Bond, they made more money from NTTD than many thought they could (and maybe more than this sort of film ever will again, given the state of cinema) and they took home the Thalberg Award as a sort of “Lifetime Achievement” honor. Cap it off with a billion dollar golden parachute and it makes perfect sense for them to pack it in.
Anyway we’ve only got about 10 years left before the novels pass into the public domain and anyone could potentially adapt them to film. At best, Eon maybe could’ve cranked out two films in that time, while Amazon…well, who knows? But now it’s Amazon’s problem.
Insiders who spoke to TheWrap pointed to Courtenay Valenti, who joined the streamer as Head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical for Amazon MGM Studios after a 33-year run at Warner Bros., as a key architect behind securing the Broccolis’ trust. Her track record of shepherding prestige franchises while maintaining filmmaker relationships made her uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between streaming ambitions and theatrical tradition.
“I’m sure Courtenay will call Chris Nolan, Danny Boyle and Edward Berger next,” according to a top agent, referring to industry’s top directors. Nolan has long said one of his dream projects is to make a Bond movie, but only if he could start from scratch.
The Bond coup represents Valenti’s biggest win since joining the streaming giant. During her Warner Bros. tenure, she oversaw numerous successes including the final “Harry Potter” films, the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, and critically acclaimed hits like “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Elvis.” That combination of commercial and critical success mirrors the delicate balance the Bond franchise has historically tried to maintain.
The deal came about despite reported tension between Amazon Studios/MGM chief Jennifer Salke and Broccoli. As recently as December, The Wall Street Journal reported that the franchise was in a “stalemate,” noting: “Broccoli was irked in one early meeting when Salke referred to James Bond by a dreaded word: “content.” Using such a sterile term, one friend reflected, was like a “death knell” to Broccoli.”
The announcement today that Amazon MGM Studios is set to assume creative control of the Bond franchise, and that the series’ longtime producers and overseers, Michael G, Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, will be stepping back, marks nothing less than a paradigm shift in movie culture. It’s a shift we’ve actually been in the thick of for a while — the transition from movies to content, from curated popcorn to popcorn sold by the yard. But the seismic nature of the Bond news today marks that transition as a cultural done deal.
In a universe of corporately controlled movie franchises, the Bond series felt like the last pure franchise. It was controlled not by a corporation, but by a family — the same way that the New York Times is controlled by a family, and is therefore able to exercise its free will as a journalistic entity outside the spectre (pun intended) of corporate control. These holdouts that remain major forces mean something big. They’re not just the exception that proves the rule. They’re the independent entities that make stretching the rules possible.
The more I think about it, the more reasonably excited I am.
The franchise as we knew it was dead anyway. The iconic movies we had were a thing of the past and could not be recaptured anymore. EON (which, by the way, we can only praise and be immensely grateful to) had come to a dead-end and clearly did not know what to do.
So it was high time Bond joined the 21st century. Time to move on and do other things.
After all, Bond was first a novel character before he became a movie character. And then he became a comics character. So if we consider it under an evolution angle, why not go the next step indeed? Why not make it a series character now, for instance?
Jack Ryan and Treadstone are real quality series from Amazon. So we could get a pretty great Bond series, that could also expand the Bond-verse. I for one am all for it.
We have to think outside the box. If we merely expect the typical usual Bond movies, we’re bound for disappointment. Because we’ll never get the things we had. Even EON itself could not deliver that anymore. So it’s pretty sure Amazon cannot.
But if we allow ourselves some room for manoeuvre, then we could get highly enjoyable things.
I know what you mean. I woke up and felt like I just remembered my team lost the grand final. Bond fans are feeling a lot of things right now. It’s because we love this character and have a long connection with him that stretches back to childhood. We want the best for Bond and there are doubts about how things will go.
This is where I am too. It is what it is. We don’t have a choice.
I will defend EON. They did know what they wanted to do, but could not figure out how to do it in the ethos/environment of the 21st century entertainment world.
SPECTRE was their last hurrah (for me). I remember my anticipation as I settled into my seat in front of the largest screen in the movie house at the corner of 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue in Chelsea (when built, it was the biggest multiplex in Manhattan. It is now an apartment house).
The film did not disappoint. It had the dimensions, craft, artistry, and swagger of an event movie. As you all know from my stated devotion, SPECTRE has remained a favorite film–not just in the world of Bond, but in the wider filmic world as well.
But that was two decades ago, and much has changed. The streaming juggernaut altered the landscape in tremendous and permanent ways. There are no more event movies. No matter how hard the studios try, the energy in a movie theatre is not the same. Too much viewing on smaller screens at home–especially by film creatives, whose aesthetics were formed by watching movies on small screens. Their eyes are different, as shown by NTTD, which, on occasion, gave off a whiff (and sometimes more than a whiff) of computer game aesthetics. Why go to the desert, when you can do it with a green screen and trucked in sand, and people will be satisfied?
No more Bond event movies. We have traded them in for Bond installments and episodes.
I agree that these things may be highly enjoyable (and hope they are). I also agree that EON was not built/oriented to produce them, but what they produced was glorious, and not likely to be seen around these parts anymore.
Dalton said “there is something very good about the original and I hope Amazon latch onto that and give us the kind of film that’s brought so much excitement and fun to so many people.”
Indeed. Amazon are going to do what they’re going to do, but without the fans on board it will mean nothing. All we can do is cross our fingers.
When I heard this news, it was shocking initially. Though, I’ve suspected for awhile that Michael was getting ready to retire and Barbara was ready to move on. This seems like it was inevitable was Amazon bought MGM. My reaction now is maybe tepid excitement. I like the idea that we may finally see movement on Bond 26, but I’m also very worried about the Bond series losing what makes it unique. I could totally see Amazon milking it for all it’s worth and turning it into a cold, soulless cash grab much in the way Disney turned Star Wars into a milk factory. But, until that happens, I’ll hold onto my optimism at least for now. I’ll give Amazon at least one shot.
I’d rather they take the TND route first up, even if just to reassure people about the new ownership. Something that’s a straight up mission without any revenge angle, gunbarrel at the front and like Dalton says, the kind of film that’s brought so much excitement and fun to so many people.
I’m glad the reaction to the news has been highly apprehensive, and I’d like more Bond alumni and fans in general to get loud. Amazon may own the brand on paper, but Bond belongs to world culture. We’re seeing just how many people care about it. Put Amazon on notice early on to see how we feel. They have to win us over.
“Is this the road to Bond 26?”
“Yes. Eventually. “
