Since its inception, the Bond film franchise has been in the hands of the Broccoli family, beginning with Albert R. Broccoli and passing down to his children Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Now, however, it comes under the control of a Bond villain, Jeff Bezos, with his bald head, billions of dollars, and love of dictatorships. Amazon MGM Studios will assume creative control of the franchise, per a February 20 report from Variety, though Wilson and Broccoli are still technically co-owners with Amazon MGM. “We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and MGM Entertainment, said in a statement.
Previous reports have claimed that Barbara Broccoli, in particular, was not jiving with Amazon. Amazon bought MGM in 2021 and with it, the Bond property. A December 2024 Wall Street Journal report about the state of the franchise quoted Broccoli as saying the Amazon executives “are fucking idiots.” Notably, no new James Bond actor or film has been announced since Daniel Craig’s final bow, No Time to Die, in 2021. Broccoli is known for being particularly protective of the franchise, turning down multiple potential tie-in properties like TV shows and video games.
Wilson, meanwhile, used his statement to announce a retirement from the franchise. “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,” he said. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.” In her statement, Broccoli credits Wilson’s retirement as one reason she is stepping away from creative control of the franchise. “I have had the honor of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry,” she said. “With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.” She is currently producing a new adaptation of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Amazon MGM, and she produced Till for the studio. As to what Amazon will do with the franchise, there’s no way to officially know. But a new Bond may be coming to a vodka martini near you soon.
