Amazon primed to make a killing after capturing James Bond

Amazon has announced it has acquired ‘creative control’ from the Broccoli family of the James Bond franchise.

Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon/ Picture: Getty Images

As the credits rolled at the end of No Time to Die, the producers ­behind the long-running 007 franchise made the familiar promise: “James Bond will return.”

Despite being blown up by a missile at the climax of that most recent instalment, there is little doubt that 007 will again emerge unscathed. But the form in which he does will never be the same again after Amazon announced that it had acquired “creative control” from the Broccoli family.

Amazon MGM Studios said on Friday that it had struck a deal with Barbara Broccoli and ­Michael Wilson, heirs to the producer Albert Broccoli and longstanding custodians of the Bond films.

Though Broccoli and Wilson are to remain “co-owners” of the franchise, the agreement means that Bond will no longer have a British handler, and will ­instead be controlled by an American tech giant. Broccoli, 64, and her half-brother Wilson, 83, both hold dual American and British citizenship.

Amazon now holds the casting vote on which actor will be chosen to replace Daniel Craig, with James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James among the bookmakers’ favourites.

Shortly after the agreement was announced, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos asked on social media: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” Idris Elba and Henry Cavill were the most popular suggestions.

Under Broccoli, who inherited Bond from her father in 1995, films have been released at intervals of about every three to four years, compared with every two years before she took over.

Craig’s last outing as 007, No Time to Die, was delayed by Covid until 2021, six years after his previous film, Spectre.

Industry experts believe that Amazon will want to quickly begin production for the next instalment, and may also consider other Bond-themed content, such as spin-off TV shows.

Amazon bought MGM in May 2021 for $US8.45bn, giving the company the right to distribute all the Bond films, though not the power to dictate the creative ­direction. The company said it would not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Tom Harrington, head of television at the research company Enders Analysis, said: “[Under the Broccolis] they were very ­restrained and disciplined about what they were producing, but you’d think the opposite is going to happen now. Amazon spent a lot of money on this and they’ll want more content for it.”

The character himself may also see a shift in direction. According to The Wall Street Journal, an Amazon executive said during an internal meeting: “I have to be honest – I don’t think James Bond is a hero.”

Last year reports emerged of a rift between the Broccolis and Amazon over “cultural differences”. Broccoli was said to be suspicious of the tech company’s data-driven approach, which is at odds with her ­instinct-led stewardship of the character. She was said to be ­relaxed about casting a black or a gay actor but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond. “My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father,” Broccoli said on Thursday. “I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007.”

The Times