Amazon MGM Studios Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise
The Broccoli family’s long-standing dispute with Amazon’s MGM Studios over the James Bond franchise has finally come to an end. Barbara Broccoli and her stepbrother Michael Wilson, who have controlled the 007 franchise for decades, announced a joint venture with Amazon MGM, handing over creative control and intellectual property rights.
This means Amazon will now have the final say in key decisions, including who will play Bond, who will write the script, and when the film will go into production. The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, even took to social media to ask, “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?”.
The feud began about three years ago when Amazon acquired MGM Studios for $6.5 billion, gaining the right to release Bond movies. However, the Broccoli family retained creative control until now.
This new partnership marks a significant shift in the franchise’s history, with Amazon poised to take Bond in a new direction. As Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, stated, “We … look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world”.
After a years-long stalemate, the Broccoli family has finally relinquished control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon. The family had retained the power to decide when a new Bond movie could go into production, but disagreements with Amazon over the character’s direction led to a creative impasse.
The franchise, which typically released a film every year or two, had been stagnant since the release of “No Time to Die” in 2021. However, with the new partnership, Amazon’s Mike Hopkins expressed enthusiasm for ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007.
Barbara Broccoli, who had been the primary steward of the franchise alongside her stepbrother Michael Wilson, stated that she is passing the torch to focus on other projects. “My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father,” she said.
With the Broccoli family’s departure, Amazon takes the reins of the iconic franchise, paving the way for a new era of Bond films.
