It was announced this week that Amazon MGM Studios has agreed a deal with the Broccoli family to take over the creative rights of the James Bond franchise.
Amazon MGM Studios and Bond producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said that they will create a joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights on Thursday (February 20) this week.
Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close before the end of the year have not been disclosed.
Wilson, who is Barbara Broccoli’s steppbrother, said: “With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
The Broccoli family have overseen the Bond franchise for over 60 years, and still had the final decision over key production issues such as casting and director.
The move comes after Amazon acquired MGM for $8.45billion (£6.7billion) in 2022, which gave it the rights to distribute all of the James Bond films.
There hasn’t been a James Bond film since 2021’s ‘No Time To Die’, which saw Daniel Craig killed off when playing the British secret agent. Since then, there has intense speculation over who will play the next Bond after Craig’s 15-year tenure.
The news of Amazon’s takeover hasn’t gone down particularly well with James Bond fans online, with many claiming it signals is ‘death’ of the franchise.
One fan wrote on X: “I guess No Time to Die really was the end of James Bond.” While another shared a clip of Daniel Craig’s bond sinking in the water, as they labelled it “the James Bond franchise”.
A third chimed in: “R.I.P. James Bond franchise (1962-2025),” while another called it the “end of an era”.
Many also compared the move to Disney buying the rights to Star Wars, as one fan wrote: “Remember when George Lucas handed Star Wars over to Disney? That.” Another speculated: “Star Wars used to feel like an event, and Disney has commodified it and stripped it of nearly everything that made it feel special. Amazon is going to do the same with James Bond. What was once a long-running, theatrical film franchise will now be stripped bare and commodified.”
Albert “Cubby” Broccoli was the man in charge of the franchise for decades before daughter Barbara and her stepbrother Wilson took control of films, with Barbara first working on Pierce Brosnan’s Goldeneye.
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