‘007’ series in turmoil as producers Amazon cannot agree on franchise

The next installment in the James Bond series is still in development due to a rift between the show’s lead producer and its new owner, Amazon.

In a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon – which bought MGM Studios in 2021 – are in an “ugly standoff” over decisions about the future of the franchise. These include decisions about whether to adapt Bond into a streaming series, or more philosophical decisions, such as whether the title character is even a hero.

“I have to 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. This quote seemed to point to Broccoli’s fear that Amazon doesn’t understand the very character she has dedicated her career to.

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

Broccoli, who has held creative control of the “007” film franchise for over thirty years, “has told friends that she doesn’t trust the algorithm-driven Amazon, a character she has created through big-screen storytelling and gut instinct mythologized,” WSJ reported.

According to the report, the relationship between Broccoli and Bond’s new owners is so difficult that as recently as this fall, Broccoli “characterized the status of a new film in dark 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 has had an episode almost every year or two since its inception in the ’60s.

“These people are fucking idiots,” Broccoli reportedly told her Amazon executive friends.

WSJ spoke to 20 people familiar with the Amazon-Broccoli feud to understand the nature of the standoff, writing that it “points to a clash between 20th century Hollywood with big screens and big swings and a new one.” “The entertainment industry is dominated by Silicon Valley.” Companies that value 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, since the company’s core business is selling everything from toilet paper to vacuum cleaners,” the report said, but noted that she did not oppose the deal Amazon’s purchase of MGM was because it “didn’t want to complicate what many in Hollywood saw as a huge payout for MGM’s owners.”

As part of the deal, MGM executives ensured that Amazon was committed to bringing Bond to 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 possible “Moneypenny” spin-off or a female 007 spin-off, Broccoli shot down the idea.

“Have you read the contract?” she supposedly replied.

In recent years, Broccoli has dismissed a number of notions in the industry that Bond might take on a different identity in terms of gender or race in upcoming films. But as the outlet reported, she believes the spy “should always be played by a man and always by a Brit.”

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WSJ also mentioned that Broccoli is shooting down Bond villain ideas inspired by current real-life figures that some people view as evil.

“‘Elon Musk?’ She said to a friend. “I did that in 1997.” Broccoli was referring to the villain from that year’s 007 series “Tomorrow Never Dies.” The media described this villain as “a wealthy tycoon whose global media empire includes a satellite network.”

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

WSJ rounded out its report with one final example of the strained relationship between Broccoli and Amazon. It said that she “did not mention Amazon” in her acceptance speech at a film industry awards ceremony in November.

Amazon did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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