It’s already been three years since the release of the most recent James Bond movie, No Time to Die. And it could be quite a few more before we see the next Bond film, if a new report about the tense relationship between the longtime producers of the franchise, the Broccoli family, and the series’ latest distributor, Amazon, are to be believed.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the relationship between the Broccolis and Amazon (who now own Bond distributor MGM — a purchase the company made in part to get their hands on Bond) “has all but collapsed.” And due to the issues between the two, their article claims, “the franchise hasn’t moved any closer to its next installment” in three years.
Amazon paid a reported $6.5 billion for MGM — and with it, the right to release future Bond movies.
No Time to Die James Bond
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Per the report in WSJ, Broccoli “has told friends she doesn’t trust algorithm-centric Amazon with a character she helped to mythologize through big-screen storytelling and gut instinct.” Their article also claims Broccoli has said of Amazon “These people are f— idiots.” (The Broccoli’s company had no comment for the Journal about the details of their report.)
As a result, apparently, there is “no script, no story and no new Bond” actor for what will eventually be the 26th official installment in the long-running franchise based on Ian Fleming’s classic spy novels.
Among the various things done by Amazon that have reportedly led to Broccoli’s increasing distrust of the company: In an “early meeting” with the company, an Amazon executive referred to the James Bond franchise “by a dreaded word: ‘content.’”
That’s where we are now, in what the Journal characterizes as an “impasse.” Amazon can’t make anything Bond without Broccoli, and Broccoli would need to make a Bond with the tech giant, but “[she] doesn’t want to make a new Bond movie with Amazon.”
You perhaps see now why it’s been three years No Time to Die without so much as a peep about who could play Bond next. Hopefully some sort of arrangement can be worked out. Otherwise the next Bond is going to have a heck of a lot of time to die.
