That’s certainly possible. But, also, given the rate at which EON was putting out Bond films, a Big Mac is better than an empty plate when you’re hungry.
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And when you ate your Big Mac, you’ve had it.
Think of that little Italian restaurant you and your family used to go to for years, Alberto’s. Fantastic restaurant, despite the fact that they only served pizza. But not just any pizza, they were known to be among the greatest pizzas around the world, and that’s exactly what you wanted. Years ago, they used to serve pasta, too, until Alberto’s partner Enrico – the pasta guy – quit and sold his share to the real estate company that owned the house.
Years went by, Alberto came up with some of the most fantastic and amazing pizza creations, and his line-up of head waiters through the years became legend and celebrities of their own. On the other hand, the house had changed proprietors several times, and so it happened that one day – years after Alberto’s passing and the next generation taking over –, the house (and the 50% share of the restaurant) was bought by McDonald’s.
It must be noted that every few years, Alberto’s closed down for the winter season, during which the family would then develop new pizza creations. And then, in one of those years, the break took exceptionally long, they even skipped spring season. And one beautiful day in May, to everyone’s surprise, the Alberto family announced that they would not re-open the restaurant but that instead McDonalds would be taking over (word has it that there were different views on pineapples and take-away pizza).
That’s where we’re now. What do you expect McDonald’s to come up with? That’s what they’ve been doing best for years – a BigMac, or an Italian family recipe pizza?
I dare you, Bezos: Surprise me!
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That is just factually wrong. You did not like the new pizza, and that’s fine. But a handmade pizza is just not a piece of processed meat between two slices of white bread.
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But if I have ordered caviar (North of the Caspian of course 
) and I am served a Big Mac, I will be displeased.
That said, I am trying to be fair and not too judgemental until the first course is served. Let’s face it, Amazon is the only restaurant in town serving what I want now, so I just have to hope that their offering will be…
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I will say that thematically Eon’s output has increasingly leant towards the more introspective ever since GOLDENEYE’s ‘No, that’s why you’re alone!’ line. The figure of Bond himself has been put under the microscope, why he leads the life he does and what repercussions it has on him.
This has been shown before (in glimpses), but from GOLDENEYE onwards it was actually questioned, first with a few lines of dialogue, then with strands of plotline and finally with whole films debating nothing else but.
But I wouldn’t call this a lukewarm Big Mac myself. It’s a different approach to Bond; indeed one we fans have often been clamouring for during the 80s when Bond himself seemed to be not as present as we would have wished for. Maybe that is the crux, once you’re inside the machine it’s difficult to get away from such a powerful pull until you’ve arrived at the core of it.
But if you spend this amount of time, energy and funds; if you go this deep into casting, into production standards, stunts, location work, soundstages, vehicles, extras, set design…and still think of the result as a Big Mac, then you haven’t been at a McDonald’s in a long time.
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I don’t think you can say that just yet.
There is a possibility that they could give full creative control to a director like Nolan and we could get far better than what we have gotten in the last few years.
You’re a bit quick to call It processed when we have no clue what the final product looks like.
Pizza, McDonalds, Italian food! Well, one thing’s for certain we won’t be getting a celebrity chef as lead! Then again, having Bond yell “Another ejector seat! Where’s your imagination Q!” might be funnier than R…
We’re a broad church as fans, and while the films aren’t made for us (fan = sucker as far as executives are concerned) the nature of a 60 year old franchise rightly gives Amazon pause before they leap in. You can’t make everyone happy all of the time, and even on these here boards, well, there are moments Dalton and I are in alignment (QoS) and moments when we are in entirely different places (SF).
Whatever Amazon do, SAF and Dalton may love it, Dustin might hate it, and the Plank (love doing a 3rd person thing) and Jim may just take the mickey. By the next film, shuffle the deck and Arbo & Stromberg may be screaming blue murder.
I suspect that for cinematic Bond, Amazon are going to crunch the numbers and go the GE route - a crowd pleasing Greatest Hits. Disney went that way with Force Awakens and it did appear everyone was happy. It was only after that they got into trouble - though from a distance it does seem that their plan at the time seemed to contain only the schedule of releases rather than the content.
The Christopher Nolan “Bond Begins” route of relaunching the character would require investment (and faith) in Nolan, Villeneuve whoever that would hold Amazon’s new toy in their hands.
As for the apparent failure of EON to give Nolan final cut - sure, maybe they should have as they owned an asset that was close to bulletproof. But Amazon first up probably won’t (and honestly shouldn’t) be giving that control to any director who demands it. Make them watch Insomnia on a loop (a remake FFS), or Dark Rises, which disappears up its own self-important backside. And then see if they still want final cut.
My gambling probabilities (not my desires) tell me that it’s GE redux for the big screen (more one-liners and an Aston as these are probably mass-audience tested algorithmic must haves!!!), and full creative control for someone handed the Moneypenny-Q west London-life streaming sitcom. Maybe with an appearance by Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer (or is he departed?).
Then after that we can all go out to eat. Once we’ve agreed where…
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In quoting my own post, let me make clear that this is my Intellectual Property and any of you, EON, or Amazon, have to come with up the equivalent of $12 and 75 cents for the rights. If that price seems steep, I will also throw in the use of Q’s punchline whenever a gadget fails, he says in a Kenneth Williams voice “Oooh, my bit’s not working again.”
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I would bet on that, too.
First: hey, I love those films!
Second: if they look at the box office and the prestige (hah!) they will have Nolan already on their list.
But then they have to acknowledge that Nolan is not a yes man but will only do everything his way. So he already is off the list again.
Again, I hope I will eat my hat and declare that the next Amazon Bond film is the greatest ever.
But nothing points in that direction. From my own dealings with streamers or from colleagues who worked for them I can only say: everybody went in full of hope, excited with these new opportunities… and then reality set in, demands were made in a micro-managing and constantly second-guessing manner, and, oh, by the way, the money paid was quite meager.
Which is often the case with those who have the biggest pockets. Their credo: hey, if you want to work for us be grateful we let you, and if you are difficult, there are millions of hopeful others waiting to take your place.
So…
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Streamers need to produce a great deal of programming to keep people subscribed. I am always hearing from my husband that there is nothing to watch despite our many subscriptions (while I am on a Mankiewicz re-watch, having just completed ones for Hawks and Melville). Feature films take more time, effort, and cost.
The sensibilities that find success in these two arenas are different. Let’s hope Amazon has built teams suitable for both, and restrains cross-pollination.
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Now that Amazon is in control, folks are talking about the possibility of a Felix Leiter spin-off series and so on, but I think what we really need is series about May, Bond’s treasured Scottish housekeeper. Done well, it could be far more interesting than most of the recent Bond films. I envision a first season story arc about May deep cleaning Bond’s flat—will she get it done by the time Bond returns from Jamaica? I have also mapped out several other episodes, and if Amazon is willing I would be happy to offer my services as the showrunner. Take a look at these incredible stories:
“For Your Hoover Only”: May vacuums Bond’s bedroom. Then she vacuums the hallway and breakfast nook. Then she vacuums Bond’s bedroom again because she missed a spot.
“Bedspreads Are Forever”: May spends the morning making Bond’s bed. But has she chosen the right duvet cover?
“Live and Let Dry”: May does Bond’s laundry but accidentally shrinks his favorite dress shirt! Can she get a replacement from Bond’s tailor before he notices?
“You Only Buy Twice”: May goes shopping for Bond’s breakfast at Fortnum & Mason, but in a shocking twist, the store has run out of Norwegian Heather Honey! A crisis is averted when May orders it from Amazon instead (Jeff Bezos has a cameo as the friendly delivery man).
“The Yank Who Irritated Me”: Tiffany Case has moved into Bond’s flat and is driving May crazy with her untidiness, crying jags, and spilled drinks. Can May find a way to get rid of Tiffany without hurting Bond’s feelings? And will she succeed in removing that whiskey stain from the sofa?
“Chunderball”: A group of disguised Spectre agents arrives at Bond’s flat to kill him. May answers the door and says Bond is at the office but will be home soon if they care to wait. May serves everyone tea but the assassination plot is called off after the agents get food poisoning from bad crumpet.
“A View to a Stove”: May faces the greatest crisis of her career when she gets amnesia after a fall in the kitchen and no longer remembers how to make scrambled eggs! Will Bond be forced to replace her?
“Dr Says No”: After a stay at Shrublands Bond wants to eat healthy food only. Will May be forced to junk her fried haggis dinner plans?
“The Man with the Golden Offer”: Bond has gone missing in Japan and everyone believes he’s dead. May is keeping Bond’s flat going on her savings but she’s running out of money. Will she accept Sir James Molony’s offer to become his housekeeper instead?
“From Scotland with Love”: May is contacted by man in Glen Orchy who claims to be her long-lost nephew’s brother’s son-in-law. Is he for real or an agent of Smersh, or (even worse) an imposter seeking to learn her secret recipe for Cock-a-Leekie Soup?
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Now, please do the expected continuation novels of May.
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Did the McDonalds analogy serve Mr Benson that well? One recalls a crack he made about the Gardner novels, which came back to bite him.
Still, there y’go, in a view from someone generally considered reasonably authoritative about such thingsies, we’ve already been through the McDonalds portal with the novels anyway. Whether all that diluted one’s experience of the written Bond is obviously subjective but they still keep selling the Flemings without much trouble.
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It‘s probably best to see the comparison to Fleming: EON‘s dead, we can still enjoy their films, and in the future we will get continuation films which will be enjoyable at best.
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We are likely to get a paint-by-numbers Bond.
TND anyone?
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"Filthy habit! "
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Or, perhaps Amazon might make some films that are actually good.
Fans have been clamoring for Nolan to take the helm of one of these films for years. Suppose Amazon makes that happen, or they allow another highly sought-after director like Denis Villeneuve to take the reigns? There are filmmakers out there not named Broccoli that have the ability to deliver a great Bond film. With all of the money they have at their disposal, Amazon might just hire some of these people.
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Reading the response round here makes me think Bond is fine. No one has changed their view, just who their ire is at.
Do what you want Amazon. The options are never going to move
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But you know how Amazon or any streamer is handling development and production…
It’s one thing to hope for the best, another to deal with the reality. As world politics right now underline: some people will never change or surprise.
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