James Bond begins a new chapter in his story. If the management and distribution of the famous license of 007 has changed hands several times, Amazon acquired the Hollywood studios MGM in 2021. But not that…
What will become of James Bond in the future? This is the big question that has been raised in the film world in recent months. This question is all the more pertinent given that the 2025 Oscars featured a six-minute choreographed sequence starring actress Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and singers Lisa (BLACKPINK), Raye and Doja Cat as Bond girls for the evening.
In 2021, Amazon acquired MGM Studios in Hollywood for $8.45 billion. As a big fan of 007, the head of the digital and commercial group officially took control of MGM’s film catalogues and, with them, the James Bond franchise. Or so he thought. At the time, the purchase did not give Amazon creative control over the license. Until 2025.
Amazon takes creative control of James Bond
A few weeks ago, the American studios Amazon MGM announced that they are taking over creative control of the franchise following an agreement with the historical producers of the films, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, at the helm of the saga since 1995 after a handover of the latter by their father Albert Broccoli. They then had the rights to the casting, direction, dialogue, script and every detail of the films.
“After nearly 60 years of career, I decided to stop producing James Bond and devote myself to artistic and charitable projects. Together with Barbara, we decided it was time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to accompany James Bond into the future,” Wilson told AFP.
At the helm of EON Productions, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were responsible for the James Bond revival following the commercial failures of the two Timothy Dalton films (License to Kill and The Living Daylights) in the 1980s. When the franchise seemed to be over, they managed to secure $60 million to produce GoldenEye, the first film of the Pierce Brosnan era, with a screenplay by Martin Campbell (future director of Casino Royale). It was a huge commercial success, grossing $356 million worldwide!
They were also behind the reboot of the James Bond saga in 2006, casting a relatively unknown actor, Daniel Craig. The five films he starred in proved to be the most profitable in the saga, grossing over $500 million worldwide.
The musical sequence dedicated by the 2025 Oscars to the world of James Bond was the Academy’s way of honoring Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, this year’s winners of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented in November at the Governors Awards to celebrate 30 years of flawless management of the spy franchise.
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and developing the incredible legacy that was passed on to me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli, to Michael and myself (…) After the end of Mourir can wait and Michael’s retirement, it is time for me to devote myself to others. projects” added Barbara Broccoli.
What will become of James Bond?
With the agreement hard-won by Jeff Bezos and Barbara Broccoli, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos now has free rein to develop an expanded universe on his Amazon Prime platform, similar to Marvel, with films, series, and spin-offs featuring secondary characters (in particular, storylines around secretary Money Penny and CIA agent Felix Leiter).
Today, however, the brother and sister remain involved as co-owners. “Don’t let anyone else ruin it,” Albert Cubby Broccoli warned his children before he died. ”You can screw it up if you want, but don’t let anyone else screw it up.” As they had mentioned in 2021, and confirmed in an internal note of Amazon consulted by the press in March 2025, the spy will not change sex if nationality, and will remain a British man regardless of his ethnicity.
A reassuring statement for purists, at a time when each choice of actor moving away from an original work offends part of the audience. The recent scandals about Snow White played by Rachel Zegler, an American of Colombian and Polish origin who is considered “not white enough” by some.
The production of the 26th installment of James Bond’s adventures, in an exotic and original story as mentioned by the studios, began in London. Although there are rumours that the actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Norton or Theo James would wear the 007 costume, no James Bond have been officially announced. The chosen one will join the list of many actors who, since 1962, have stepped into the shoes of the famous secret agent in the service of Her Majesty, including Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Josef Kleindienst: the businessman who could have changed everything
If Amazon rushed to reach an agreement with Albert R. Broccoli’s daughter, who holds the rights to the James Bond franchise, it was because Josef Kleindienst also intended to take part in the adventure. The Austrian businessman was taking legal action to obtain the marketing rights for the license for the high-end complex he is currently building in Dubai. The goal? To exploit domain names linked to James Bond and 007 for this $5 billion luxury resort, such as “James Bond Special Agent 007,” “James Bond 007,” “James Bond, James Bond: World of Espionage,” and, more surprisingly, the famous line “Bond, James Bond.”
To carry out his project, the real estate developer relied on British and European intellectual property law. If a trademark has not been used commercially for at least five years, the rights holder loses ownership of the name and any marketing derivatives. Indeed, since James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, kicked the bucket in “No Time to Die” in 2021, 007 has been slow to return to action.
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Featured photo : © Pixabay
