Movie icon and tremendous spy James Bond appeared to be on one other rise to the high of the field workplace only a few years in the past, however issues have been nearly as quiet as a shot from a Walther PPK with a silencer ever since then. Daniel Craig took on the position in 2006 with Casino Royale and handed the baton with 2021’s No Time to Die in considered one of the most heart-wrenching endings in Bond’s cinematic historical past (you cried, simply admit it).
The solely factor sadder is the cause why we haven’t seen a brand new Bond movie since then.
The Wall Street Journal studies that Amazon and Barbara Broccoli, the producer who inherited the franchise from her father and movie producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli when he died in 1996, are in the center of an unsightly battle that’s halted manufacturing on the subsequent Bond movie. Apparently, Barbara doesn’t belief Amazon along with her household’s well-known movie franchise.
How unhealthy is it? Well, right here’s a quote from Barbara to a few of her associates explaining how she feels about the individuals who run Amazon’s media empire: “These people are f—ing idiots.” Man, that’s awkward with a capital “awk.”
The stalemate began again in 2021 when Amazon purchased MGM for $8.5 billion and thus acquired the rights to distribute Bond movies, in keeping with Variety. The deal appeared like an enormous transfer for Amazon to weave its manner into Hollywood utilizing considered one of its most storied and rock stable movie franchises.
Unfortunately for Amazon, the true energy over the James Bond movies lies with Broccoli. She provides the concepts for Bond’s large display screen adventures and once they go into manufacturing, and Broccoli isn’t eager on working with Amazon anytime quickly. The WSJ spoke to twenty individuals conversant in the feud who say Broccoli feels Amazon isn’t the proper place for a Bond movie as a result of its core enterprise is retail and ecommerce.
When Amazon bought MGM, clinching the rights to the Bond franchise was a key a part of the deal’s worth. Broccoli and co-producer Michael Wilson had some reservations however had been assured they’d nonetheless retain artistic management. COVID lockdowns had been already making it arduous to leap into the subsequent Bond movie manufacturing as nicely. However, issues appeared to be smoothing over between the two events when Amazon additionally insisted that its subsequent Bond movie No Time to Die would get a theatrical launch.
But as quickly as the deal closed, Amazon executives began pondering of how to broaden the Bond movie franchise to different mediums like a Moneypenny spinoff sequence for Prime Video or a separate spy movie or TV present that happened in the Bond universe. Broccoli refused to let any of those tasks go ahead. She additionally took umbrage with Amazon leisure govt Jennifer Salke’s use of the phrase “content” to explain new James Bond tasks and any concepts Amazon had for Bond had been labeled “TBD” in memos. To date, the solely Bond property Amazon might get Broccoli to log off on is a actuality sequence 007: Road to a Million that’s getting into its second season.
Broccoli and her household have been a part of the Bond movie franchise for nearly so long as she lived so she’s fiercely protecting of the model and her father’s cinematic legacy. She’s additionally began coaching Wilson’s son Gregg to provide latest installments and presumably put together him to take over the franchise sometime. Even that has led to disagreements over who ought to play Bond in the subsequent movie. That’s assuming we get one and it doesn’t appear to be that can occur anytime quickly.
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