As super spy 007, he is used to fighting his way out of difficult hostage situations.
But the same can’t be said for the next James Bond film, which is being held up amid a feud between the franchise’s protective producer and Amazon.
For the past thirty years, the James Bond films have been overseen by producers Barbara Broccoli, the daughter of original Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson.
Just a few months after Daniel Craig’s latest foray into the 007 universe, Amazon has forked out a whopping $6.5 billion to acquire Bond distributor MGM.
Broccoli was already apprehensive about the acquisition and reportedly had concerns about the optics of the online giant promoting her beloved character alongside toilet paper sales and Black Friday deals.
For their part, Amazon has reportedly made it difficult for Wilson to get a meeting with executives over an L6 employee — CEO Andy Jass is an L12.
But it has now emerged that an ideological divide could also hold back production, after an employee silenced a meeting by admitting: ‘I don’t think James Bond is a hero’. Wall Street Journal reports.
The progressive statement is said to have made Bond producers nervous. It speaks to a broader conversation about it best delivering the next version of the hard-drinking womanizer for a modern audience while staying true to his character.
A woke Amazon employee reportedly silenced a room when she admitted she doesn’t believe James Bond is a hero
Broccoli has previously insisted that while she has no qualms about hiring a black or gay actor to play Bond, he must be a British man.
She is fiercely protective of her father’s legacy and often appears on set to supervise stunts.
Her scripts also follow the cardinal rules of the franchise, such as Bond rarely shooting his gun first, to the letter.
The producer has consistently rebuffed executives’ attempts to weaken the quality of its product by rejecting offers for Bond video games, TV shows and at least one casino.
So it’s not surprising that Broccoli would be outraged when Amazon boss Jennifer Salke called the Bond films “content.”
Salke is the head of Amazon Studios and was tasked with managing the relationship with Broccoli.
However, it doesn’t appear that Salke has earned her trust, as Broccoli tells colleagues they are “temporary people making permanent decisions,” according to the WSJ report.
It’s been three years since Craig’s last James Bond film No Time To Die hit theaters, and we’re seemingly no closer to learning who the new 007 is than we were then.
The statement offended Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, who has overseen the films for the past three decades since taking over her father’s mantle.
Broccoli is in a standoff with Amazon, which has acquired Bond distributor MGM, because it doesn’t trust the conglomerate with its beloved character
Normally a new Bond is released every few years, even if there is a change in the lead actor.
Delaying the release is a risky tactic in today’s crowded media landscape, but is indicative of Broccoli’s unwillingness to compromise on her vision.
It’s a risk that a conglomerate like Amazon tries to avoid, while Broccoli, according to colleagues, is more content with a gut-based approach to making its films.
Her collaborators pointed out that Broccoli took a gamble by casting relatively unknown Daniel Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale.
It’s the kind of move that no one could imagine attacking algorithm-obsessed Amazon, which takes a more calculated and empirical approach to its operations.
Broccoli would also struggle creatively when it comes to a new Bond villain.
The franchise has already featured its fair share of menacing, stateless billionaires, and it could be geopolitically risky to cast foreign nations as villains in the same way the early Bond films did.
The producers and Amazon are now at an impasse, with Amazon demanding ideas for new Bond films, although Broccoli seemingly has no interest in making them with the studio.
Broccoli, 64, who has taken control of the franchise more fully as her 82-year-old brother nears retirement, has told friends that the people at Amazon are “fucking idiots.”
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has been tasked with managing the relationship with Broccoli, which remains tense
There have been many discussions about who should play the next role in 007, with some believing they should go so far as to cast a black man or possibly even a gay man or woman.
Broccoli has no problem hiring a black or gay man as the next Bond, but she reportedly insists that Bond must be a man, and that man must be British.
In June 2022, just months after Amazon acquired MGM, Broccoli said at a BFI event that a new Bond film wouldn’t happen too soon.
“I’d say filming will take at least another two years. It’s a reinvention of Bond,” Broccoli said at the time, emphasizing that they didn’t have anyone in mind to play 007 yet.
She added that work on the new script had not even started yet as they wanted to make a casting decision first.
Two years later, the only 007-related project Eon has produced was the 2023 reality series 007: One in a Million, hosted by Brian Cox, which follows nine ordinary people who embark on a global Bond-like adventure in the hope of making 1 million gain pounds. .
A second season is in the works, although it’s unclear when production might begin or when it will be released.