"Bloody idiots" Bond producer Broccoli fires back at Amazon
Production of the next James Bond film has stalled due to differences between producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon Studios. Meanwhile, there is a new rumor about who could allegedly become Bond.
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- Conflicts between producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon are hampering the next James Bond film as Broccoli seeks to protect the Bond legacy.
- Broccoli is wrestling with the challenge of making 007 contemporary without losing his character, while Amazon is pushing for quick results.
- Three years after Daniel Craig's departure, there is neither a new cast nor a script, as Broccoli sticks strictly to her creative vision.
As super agent 007, he is used to getting himself out of dicey situations. But the next James Bond film is stuck as there is tension between the franchise's protective producer and Amazon.
For 30 years, the James Bond films have been controlled by producers Barbara Broccoli, daughter of original Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson. Just a few months after Daniel Craig's last appearance as 007, Amazon acquired Bond distributor MGM for a whopping 6.5 billion dollars.
Broccoli was already worried by the takeover and had concerns that the online giant would advertise her beloved character alongside toilet paper and Black Friday deals.
Now it has emerged that an ideological rift is also holding up production after an employee said in a meeting, "I don't think James Bond is a hero," according to the Daily Mail. This statement has unsettled Bond producers and raises the question of how to remake the hard-drinking ladies' man for a modern audience without losing his character.
James Bond just another "content" for Amazon
Broccoli has previously stressed that she has no qualms about hiring a black or gay actor to play Bond, as long as he is a British man. She is very keen to protect her father's legacy and often oversees the stunts on set. Her scripts strictly follow the basic rules of the franchise, such as Bond rarely shooting first.
The producer has consistently rejected attempts by executives to water down the quality of her product, turning down offers for Bond video games, TV shows and at least one casino. Unsurprisingly, Broccoli was upset when Amazon chief Jennifer Salke referred to the Bond films as " content ".
Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, was tasked with managing the relationship with Broccoli. But it seems that Salke did not win her trust, as Broccoli told colleagues that she did not "trust temporary people to make permanent decisions".
Daniel Craig was also a risk
It's been three years since Craig's last James Bond film, No Time to Die, and we're seemingly no closer to finding out who the new 007 will be. Normally, a new Bond is released every few years, even if the lead actor changes. The delay is a risky tactic in today's crowded media landscape, but shows Broccoli's unwillingness to compromise on her vision.
It's a risk a conglomerate like Amazon would want to avoid, while Broccoli is following more of a gut instinct to make the movies, according to colleagues. Her coworkers pointed out that Broccoli took a risk when she cast the then relatively unknown Daniel Craig for "Casino Royale" in 2006. It's hard to imagine such a decision at algorithm-focused Amazon, which takes a calculated and empirical approach.
Broccoli also has creative difficulties when it comes to a new Bond villain. The franchise has already had its share of menacing, stateless billionaires, and it could be geopolitically risky to portray foreign nations as villains, as was the case in the early Bond films.
A reinvention of Bond
The producers and Amazon are now at a crossroads, with Amazon demanding ideas for new Bond films while Broccoli appears uninterested in making them with the studio. Broccoli, 64, who has taken more of the reins of the franchise as her 82-year-old brother nears retirement, has told friends that people at Amazon are "fucking idiots."
In June 2022, just months after Amazon's acquisition of MGM, Broccoli said a new Bond movie wasn't coming anytime soon: "I would say filming is at least two years away. It's a reinvention of Bond," Broccoli said at the time, emphasizing that they didn't have anyone in mind to play 007 yet. She added that work on the new script had not yet begun as they wanted to make a casting decision first.
Two years on, the only 007-related project Eon has produced is the 2023 reality series "007: One in a Million", hosted by Brian Cox, which sends nine ordinary people on a global Bond-like adventure in the hope of winning £1 million. A second season is in the works, although it is unclear when production might begin or when it might be released.
Rumors have been swirling about who will play the next Bond, with Aaron Taylor Johnson being highly touted earlier this year. However, "Challengers" star Josh O'Connor has emerged as the new potential favorite.
