The next installment in the “James Bond” franchise remains in development amid a rift between the series’ lead producers and its new owner, Amazon.
A report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed that longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Amazon (which acquired MGM Studios in 2021) were involved in the Decisions about the future of the series have fallen into an “ugly impasse.” That includes deciding whether Bond should be turned into a streaming series, or something more philosophical, such as whether the titular character is a hero.
According to the outlet, an Amazon executive said during a recent meeting about upcoming Bond content: “To be honest, I don’t think James Bond is a hero.” This sentence seems to show that Broccoli is worried Amazon doesn’t understand the character she’s dedicated her career to.
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Amazon and top Bond producer Barbara Broccoli are reportedly in an “ugly stalemate” over the future of the James Bond franchise. (Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal stated that Broccoli, who has had creative control over the “007” film series for more than three decades, “has told friends that she doesn’t trust the algorithm-centric Amazon because she tells stories on the big screen. and intuition mythologize the character,” the report said.
The relationship between Broccoli and Bond’s new owners was so rocky that just this fall, Broccoli “described the status quo of a new movie in dire terms – no script, no story, no…” The new Bond”. Nearly three years after the last film, 2021’s No Time to Die , the series lacks momentum, which is unprecedented for a series that has released one almost every year or two since the ’60s.
“These people are idiots,” Broccoli reportedly told her friends about Amazon executives.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed 20 people familiar with the Amazon-Broccoli dispute to understand the nature of the standoff, writing that it “bottomed down a battle between the big screen and swinging Hollywood of the 20th century and the new entertainment industry dominated by Silicon Valley.” Clash” a company that values data, algorithms and streaming subscriptions. “
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Actor Daniel Craig plays the role of James Bond for the fifth and final time in the 2021 film No Time to Die. (Tang Jiawei)
Broccoli “complained that Amazon was not a good home for Bond because the company’s core business is selling everything from toilet paper to vacuum cleaners,” the report said, though the report noted that she did not publicly oppose Amazon’s acquisition of MGM because she ” Didn’t want to complicate what many in Hollywood saw as a huge payout for MGM’s owners.
As part of the deal, MGM executives ensured Amazon was committed to bringing Bond to the big screen rather than relegating the franchise to a streaming series. The outlet noted that when an eager Amazon executive pitched various ideas for a Bond TV spin-off, including a potential “Moneypenny” spin-off or a female 007 spin-off, Broccoli nixed the idea.
“Have you read the contract?” she reportedly replied.
Over the past few years, Broccoli has resisted various ideas within the industry that Bond might take on a different identity in terms of gender or race in the upcoming film. But as the outlet reports, she believes spies “should always be played by men and should always be played by British people”.
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The Wall Street Journal also noted that Broccoli’s refutation of Bond’s villain idea was inspired by real-world characters some considered evil.
“‘Elon Musk?’ she told a friend, ‘I did that in 1997.’ The outlet described the villain as “a wealthy tycoon whose global media empire includes satellite networks.”
As the incoming administration prepares to move into the White House, liberal media and Democratic lawmakers have seized on a new talking point. Musk is a “shadow” president, taking over power from President-elect Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal rounds out its report with one final example of the tension between Broccoli and Amazon. The report pointed out that during her acceptance speech at the film industry awards ceremony in November, “she did not mention Amazon.”
Amazon did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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