If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
What killed James Bond for good? The answer might be ill-will between Amazon and character's longtime co-owners
Amazon has tried ordering a James Bond movie for three years, but co-owner keeps saying 'no' according to reports
Popverse's top stories of the day
- How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
- Watch: Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
- Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
Despite his seeming death in No Time to Die, the closing credits of that 2021 movie promised “James Bond will return.” More than three years later, with no new Bond movie in development, it’s beginning to look as if that caption was wishful thinking more than an official announcement, so what happened? Simply put, war between the two parties who could bring Bond back to life.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that relations between producer Barbara Broccoli — whose Eon Productions is a part-owner and controller of the Bond movie rights — and Amazon, which purchased the remaining rights to the property when it bought MGM in 2022, have broken down, with the former reportedly describing the latter in conversations with friends as “fucking idiots.”
At the heart of the conflict, according to the report sourced according to the WSJ from “more than 20 people familiar with the Broccoli-Amazon feud,” is a breakdown in trust between the two parties over what constitutes the best interests of Bond as a franchise. Broccoli has historically protected Bond from overexposure — consider the lack of Bond spin-off movies across the past 60 years! — whereas Amazon… made last year’s 007: Road To A Million game show, which dared to ask "What if The Amazing Race had Brian Cox as a host?"
What this means in the short term would appear to be an impasse, unless ether party should suddenly decide to relinquish their interests in Bond. That’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, given the fact that the character has generated $7.6 billion in box office revenue to date… but with Broccoli seemingly unwilling to trust Amazon’s intentions according to those in the know, one side might need to blink before Bond’s brand disappears for good as anything other than a nostalgic oddity.
(For those wondering; the three years since No Time To Die isn’t the longest downtime in Bond’s screen career so far; that would be the six years between 1989’s License to Kill and 1995’s GoldenEye.)
If only there was one man known for achieving the impossible that could handle this... oh wait, he blew up back in No Time to Die.
Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:
And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:
Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.