An explosive new report has alleged the future of the James Bond franchise is “on pause” amid what was described as an “ugly” stalemate between the family in control of the character and Amazon.
The behind-the-scenes battle between Barbara Broccoli, who retains creative control over Bond and decides who plays the iconic British spy, and Amazon, which acquired the right to release Bond movies after it bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in a deal worth $8.45 billion back in 2021, has left Bond “trapped,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Broccoli, according to the report, doesn’t trust the “algorithm-centric” Amazon with the Bond character, preferring to use “gut instinct with a healthy amount of risk.” According to WSJ, where Broccoli cast the relatively unknown Daniel Craig as Bond for 2006’s hugely successful Casino Royale and its sequels - Amazon prefers to calculate risk based on factors including an actor’s past performance or the prior success of similar films. Amazon isn’t keen on casting an unknown in a lead role like Bond, WSJ reported.
The upshot of all this is that there is no script and no new Bond for a new movie. The WSJ said: “To friends, Broccoli has characterized her thoughts on Amazon this way: ‘These people are f***ing idiots.’ “
Bond production company Eon said Broccoli had no comment.
One of the biggest questions in Hollywood is who will play the next Bond. Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the candidate to have gained the most traction so far, with British tabloid The Sun reporting in March that the actor had received a "formal offer" to become Craig's successor. Idris Elba is often mentioned as a potential Bond, too.
The WSJ said Broccoli has no issue casting a nonwhite or gay actor as Bond, but insists Bond is always played by a British man. As for Amazon, apparently there are internal discussions about Bond’s place in the modern world, “and whether the valorization of a dangerously violent, womanizing secret agent is what’s best for society today.”
If a new Bond movie does end up happening, it will release in theaters, Amazon has promised. As of today, that seems further away than ever.
Image credit: EON Productions Limited.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
