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It’s quite often that news will be announced as ’the end of an era’ in a suitably hyperbolic manner when, really, it’s simply a matter of everyday importance to even that property’s most devoted fans — but when it comes to what has just happened to the James Bond franchise, this really is the end of an era: producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have announced that they are stepping back from overseeing the property, leaving it fully in the hands of Amazon MGM Studios.

In a statement released February 20 by Amazon, Broccoli — the daughter of original James Bond movie producer Cubby Broccoli — explained, “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. 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.”

Wilson added in his own statement, “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. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”

Finally, 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 theaters 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 honored to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”

The retirement of Broccoli and Wilson, who have jointly overseen all Bond on-screen projects since 1995’s GoldenEye — Wilson having worked on the series since 1985’s A View To A Kill — means that the Bond series is, for the first time since 1962’s first movie, Dr. No, in the hands of studio executives rather than the Broccoli family. It also brings to an end the long-running tension between producers and Amazon, which has held the rights to produce and distribute any future Bond movies since the company acquired MGM Studios in 2022.

The two parties have been famously at odds over the future of the Bond franchise for years, with Broccoli’s refusal to allow Amazon MGM to fully exploit the franchise reportedly being the reason no announcement has been made about a successor to Daniel Craig’s 007 in the past four years, despite many rumors (and no small amount of wishful thinking.) In fact, in the years since Amazon’s MGM purchase, the only new Bond-related project to emerge has been the somewhat disappointing reality show 0007: Road to A Million.

Given today’s news, we should probably expect that to change sooner rather than later. The question is, just who will be the next James Bond — and how quickly can Amazon MGM get together a plan to get him into theaters?

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