Three years ago Amazon bought MGM Studios for $8.5 billion. That massive deal included the rights to James Bond. But all that money didn’t buy Amazon the ability to do whatever it wanted with the world’s most famous spy. Turns out that required a little bit of time and some more money. Amazon MGM Studios has announced it now has complete creative control over 007, a development that should rightfully worry fans.
After decades overseeing and protecting the James Bond series, longtime stewards Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are stepping away from their roles. They have formed a new “joint venture” (we first learned about at the Associated Press) with Amazon MGM Studios. The new arrangement places all creative control of the iconic character in the hands of Amazon.
In a statement Wilson shared why the two custodians made the deal. “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.”
Left unsaid is how much money it took to convince them to step back.
Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins didn’t touch on how much money it took to gain control over a truly important character in his statement either.
We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honored to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.
We all know what this is really about. We live in a world obsessed with IP. There’s no mystery over what’s going to happen without any creative or, more importantly, commercial guardrails in place. Instead of every James Bond movie—and only movies—feeling like an event, Amazon MGM Studios is going to oversaturate the market. It will very quickly launch a James Bond Connected Universe. That will include TV shows, spinoffs, and crossovers.
But while Amazon has the money to buy anything it wants, that doesn’t mean viewers will buy into their plans. James Bond has been an institution way longer than Prime Video.