Actor Daniel Craig’s fifth and final 007 role was in 2021, and now Amazon MGM could choose the next James Bond|www.GlynLowe.com; Phil Murphy|CC BY 2.0; CC BY-NC 2.0
In a “shaken, not stirred” moment, Amazon MGM Studios has gained creative control of the James Bond franchise and will co-own it with members of the Broccoli family, who have maintained the 007 IP since the first Bond film in the 1960s.
Michael Wilson and his sister, Barbara Broccoli, inherited the creative control of Bond films from their father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, and they have been long-time producers in the franchise.
It took a turn when Jeff Bezos’s Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022 and gained distribution rights to over 17,000 TV shows and 4,000 movies, including all the 25 Bond films released thus far.
Amazon MGM’s joint venture with the Broccoli family (who will remain co-owners of the franchise) could be eventful, considering the actor Daniel Craig’s fifth and final 007 role ended with the release of No Time to Die in 2021. It gives the studio leeway to choose the next Bond and decide the future of the franchise.
The Bond films have collected over $6 billion in the US box office over the years.
Acknowledging the deal, Bezos posted on X asking, “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?”