'James Bond to be made by Amazon as British creators step back' →
Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.
I think this is bad news, despite them remaining ‘co-owners’ of the franchise.
It always seemed that ‘Bond’ as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson – they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and I’m sure stopped many attempts to ‘modernise’ it.
I’m unsure how Amazonian MGM is. But after the dull Rings of Power, I don’t trust Amazon Studios to make the next Bond instalment(s) any good. I hope I’m wrong.
[Broccoli] was said to be relaxed about casting a person of colour or a gay actor, but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond.
I wouldn’t say there’s loads of pressure for the next Bond to be non-white, American, gay or a woman1 – mostly it just seems to be the media writing about it because they know it stirs the pot. But I trusted Broccoli and co. to not cave into any pressure if it wasn’t right for Bond. Whereas Amazon MGM might want to mix things up a bit too much with a strange choice for Bond or by changing the feel of the films.
I’m not silly enough to think that just because Amazon makes the punch-y Reacher and geopolitically charged Jack Ryan that their Bond will be an awful mix of the two – I’m sure they’re not that clueless. But whatever their Bond’s ‘feel’ is, I expect it to be mediocre.
Though you never know, maybe they’ll improve it.2 I loved the Daniel Craig films and he’s my favourite Bond. But I would like a bit more fun and suavity injected back into it. Maybe Prime will deliver.
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