It's a matter of time till I sell out to that prick. I have no journalistic integrity. It's all about the money. I'm a parasite.
Amazon MGM Studios Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise From Broccoli Family
Studio will now control who plays 007 and when the next film goes into production
By Alyssa Lukpat, WSJ
Updated Feb. 20, 2025 11:25 am ET
The Broccoli family’s feud with Amazon AMZN -1.80%decrease; red down pointing triangle MGM Studios over the James Bond franchise appears to have reached a resolution.
Barbara Broccoli and her stepbrother Michael Wilson, who have long controlled the 007 franchise, said in a statement with Amazon MGM Thursday that they reached an agreement to hand over creative control of it to a new joint venture with the studio. The venture will house the franchise’s intellectual property rights.
Amazon will now control who will play Bond, who will write the next script, and when the film goes into production–three critical pieces that so far have been held up by a years-long stalemate. The company didn’t disclose financial terms of the joint venture.
“Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com’s founder and executive chairman, said in a social-media post Thursday morning.
Amazon and the Broccoli family had been at odds since the tech company acquired the right to release Bond movies about three years ago when it bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for $6.5 billion.
After the deal, the Broccoli family retained their power to decide when a new Bond movie could go into production. The family didn’t trust data-minded Amazon with the character and the parties couldn’t agree to a path forward for a new film, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
The impasse meant the franchise hadn’t moved any closer to its next installment since “No Time to Die” debuted in 2021. The franchise typically released a film every year or two, starting with “Dr. No” in 1962, and there were rarely long gaps between installments.
“We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world,” said Mike Hopkins, the head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Broccoli and Wilson controlled the franchise after inheriting it from their father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Barbara Broccoli, 64 years old, emerged as the primary steward as her octogenarian stepbrother grew older.
“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,” Barbara Broccoli said. “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.”
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