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- Eon Productions Limited, the company behind the legendary James Bond franchise, has announced a joint venture with Amazon MGM.
- Under the terms of the deal, Eon owners Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will remain co-owners of the franchise, but Amazon MGM will now have ‘creative control’ over future projects.
- The announcement comes almost three years after Amazon acquired MGM in a USD$8.4 billion transaction.
The Broccoli era of Bond is nearing an end. After months of speculation, Eon Productions Limited, the company behind the legendary James Bond franchise, has announced a joint venture with Amazon MGM. The landmark deal will see Eon owners Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli hand full ‘creative control’ of the iconic British spy series over to Amazon’s film and television production studio.
In a statement released on Thursday, Amazon confirmed the deal, revealing that it will house the James Bond intellectual property rights, while Wilson and Broccoli will remain co-owners of the franchise. Notably, Amazon MGM will gain complete creative control of the James Bond franchise following the transaction’s closing.
“Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios said. “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 honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
Amazon James Bond Acquisition
Rumours of the Amazon James Bond acquisition have been circling for years, with speculation first mounting in May 2021 when Amazon announced plans to acquire MGM. That deal would take almost a full calendar year to complete the regulatory process, only receiving clearance from the European Union’s antitrust ombudsman in March 2022. Two days later, Amazon completed the USD$8.5 billion transaction, officially acquiring MGM’s incredible catalogue of culturally significant films.
While many releases, including 12 Angry Men and Rocky, were critical in proving the legitimacy of the deal, much of the industry discourse focused on what would happen to James Bond. While the MGM acquisition gave Amazon the rights to distribute all of the James Bond films, Eon Productions Limited, the company responsible for producing the franchise, maintained creative control over future productions. On Thursday, Eon owners Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli confirmed they would be handing the reins over to Amazon via a joint venture project.
“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,” Wilson said in a statement. “Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
Amazon 007 Deal
Since the release of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, in 1961, a total of 25 films have been produced. Author Ian Fleming famously created the gentleman spy character in 1953 for his novel Casino Royale, before selling the filming rights to producers Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961. In those early days, new instalments were released almost annually; however, towards the turn of the millennium, the lag time between films grew longer.
In 1995, Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson took over control of Eon Productions from her father Cubby. The first film released under their direction was 1995’s Goldeneye, which remains one of the best-loved in the modern series.
Speaking on her time with the esteemed franchise, Broccoli revealed that she was proud of the films produced over the period. She also revealed that she aims to remain in the film industry; however, she is shifting priorities to other projects.
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli,” Broccoli said in a statement. “I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. 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.”
What This Means for the Next Bond
With Amazon MGM now officially taking the reins of James Bond, intrigue mounts on where the iconic franchise is headed. The most recent instalment, 2021’s No Time to Die, marked the end of an era for the franchise with lead actor Daniel Craig stepping away from the role. Since then, speculation has been rife over who will be the next star to step into the gentleman spy’s well-polished shoes.
Initially, fan theories had Idris Elba and Tom Hardy in the mix. However, reports emerged that Broccoli and Wilson were looking to take the series in a new direction. Insiders suggested that the pair were hoping to reignite a more youthful audience, introducing a younger and more brazen Bond than previously explored on screen. Those reports, while unconfirmed, saw 34-year-old British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson rocket into contention. The suave and sophisticated performer, best known for his work in Bullet Train, Kick-Ass and more recently Nosferatu, looked every bit a sure thing prior to the Amazon James Bond acquisition announcement, but now, nothing is set in stone.
Within hours of the deal’s confirmation, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took to social media to ask his 6.8 million X followers for casting advice. In a post that simply reads ‘Who’d you pick as the next Bond?’, Bezos collected more than 20,000 responses ranging from Timothée Chalamet and Taron Egerton to Theo James and Richard Madden.
Actors with Amazon Ties
While all would undoubtedly live up to the famous moniker, it’s worth noting the established connections already in place. Richard Madden recently starred in the Amazon MGM Studios original film Killer Heat, alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley. The 2024 film saw Madden pull double duty as a set of twin brothers at the centre of an unsolved mystery, with the role proving his worth as an action and thriller performer.
Similarly, frontrunner Henry Cavill also has ties to Amazon, having previously starred in Guy Ritchie’s 2024 hit The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. An actor who appears tailor-made for the spy series, Cavill famously auditioned for the role of 007 in 2002 but ultimately lost out to Daniel Craig. With a new creative controller on board, he may get a second crack at the character.
If Amazon is looking to go younger with the role, there are a few options that could bode well. Nicholas Galitzine, who starred in the Amazon-helmed rom-com The Idea of You, is just 30 years old, and with a new Masters of the Universe film set to land in 2026, his action chops should be honed. Whatever the case, you can expect Amazon MGM to make some intriguing decisions regarding 007, and if there is one thing that we have learned, it is that they rarely sit on an opportunity.
