Speculation about the next James Bond was rife even before Daniel Craig confirmed once and for all that he was stepping down.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson? Idris Elba? Henry Cavill? James Norton? A female 007?
Three-and-a-half years on from No Time To Die, already delayed due to COVID and other problems, there has not been a scrap of confirmation.
But now – plot twist – comes the announcement that Bond‘s long-time producers and custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are handing creative control to Amazon MGM Studios.
It’s likely that all the behind the scenes wrangling to get to this deal announcement is why a new 007, whoever that may be, is yet to be named. And speculation now shifts from the next Bond to the entire future of Bond.
Broccoli and Wilson are the daughter and stepson of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the man responsible for the start of the franchise’s success, and have always been fiercely protective of the world’s most famous secret agent.
During Craig‘s tenure there have been just five films since his first, Casino Royale, was released almost 20 years ago in 2006. Pierce Brosnan starred in four between 1995 and 2002.
Broccoli and Wilson did not want to give the world too much Bond. Fans have been kept waiting, and always wanting more.
Now, with Amazon at the helm, will we see origin stories for Miss Moneypenny or Q? Or what about the baddies? A sensitive deep dive into the early years of Jaws or Blofeld or Goldfinger – maybe even all three and more – to discover how they turned to the dark side?
Will Jeff Bezos get involved? He certainly didn’t waste time in posting on X to ask fans for their thoughts. Perhaps we could see a cameo in the future?
Amazon acquired MGM, including the rights to distribute James Bond films, in 2022. Back then, the streaming service said it was “honoured… to usher in the next phase”. And in 2023, it released a Bond reality show.
Asked for her thoughts on potential spin-offs by Sky News after that announcement, Broccoli said: “Well, I don’t think so… we’ve focused on making the films for theatrical release and we have not wanted to do spin-offs.
“So I think that’s our position. They certainly have told us that that the films will be theatrical films in the future and we’ll see what happens.”
Could that be about to change?
‘Don’t cinematic universe Bond’
In December, the Wall Street Journal published an article headed “Where Is James Bond? Trapped in an Ugly Stalemate With Amazon”, featuring interviews with more than 20 people familiar with the “feud”.
When one executive referred to Bond as “content”, one friend reportedly told the newspaper, it was like a “death knell” to Broccoli.
“It’s kinda sad to see the last family-owned movie franchise handed over to the suits, and I’m sure Amazon MGM is salivating,” posted filmmaker Joe Russo (not the Russo who has worked on some Marvel films, we should point out) on X.
“BUT… DON’T cinematic universe James Bond. It is one of our last, great theatrical events. Don’t dilute that with a plethora of streaming spin-offs.”
Another X user wasn’t as polite: “RIP James Bond.”
Read more:
Brian Cox on Bond reality
A look back at 007 in pictures
You only need to look at what has happened to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the last few years to see why there would be concerns.
While there are still plenty of fans, there has been obvious disenchantment – reflected at the box office – as more and more spin-offs and origin stories have been churned out in recent years.
Beetlejuice star Jenna Ortega is one actress who doesn’t want a spin-off – or a female Bond, at least.
“I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special,” she said in an interview with MTV last year. “But we should have our own. I don’t like it when it’s like a spin-off – I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond’. You know? I want to see another badass.”
Responding to a post shared by the British James Bond Fan Club, one fan replied: “End of an era! Just have to hope that in future the Bond output is still all about quality rather than quantity.”
There is also the issue of copyright, which has made headlines recently.
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Austrian property developer Josef Kleindienst is challenging the trademark ownership of the James Bond name in the UK and the EU, The Guardian revealed earlier in February. This is possible after five years of “non use” under trademark law.
“James Bond will not die on our watch,” he reportedly said.
The previous longest gap between Bond outings is six years and four months; the way things are looking, this next one could be longer.
These are uncertain times for Bond. Which is enough to leave fans more than a little shaken and stirred.
