As the super spy 007, he is used to fighting his way out of tricky hostage situations.
But the same can’t be said for the next James Bond movie, which is being held up amid a feud between the franchise’s protective producer and Amazon.
For the past 30 years, the James Bond films have been controlled 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 last foray into the 007 universe, Amazon plunked down 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 its sales of toilet paper and Black Friday deals.
On their part, Amazon has reportedly made it difficult for Wilson to get a meeting with executives above a L6 employee – CEO Andy Jass is an L12.
But now it has emerged that an ideological split might also be holding up production, after an employee silenced a meeting by admitting, ‘I don’t think James Bond is a hero’, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The progressive pronouncement is said to have unnerved Bond producers. It speaks to a wider conversation about best deliver the next version of the hard-drinking, womanizer for a modern audience while remaining true to his character.
A woke Amazon employee reportedly silenced a room when she admitted that 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, often appearing on set to oversee stunts.
Her scripts also follow the franchise’s cardinal rules, such as Bond rarely shooting his weapon first, to the letter.
The producer has consistently rejected executives’ attempts to dilute the quality of her product by turning down offers for Bond video games, TV shows and at least one casino.
So it is unsurprising that Broccoli is was said to have been incensed when Amazon boss Jennifer Salke referred to the Bond movies as, ‘content’.
Salke is the head of Amazon Studios and was assigned to manage the relationship with Broccoli.
However it does not appear that Salke has gained her trust, with Broccoli telling colleagues she doesn’t trust, ‘temporary people to make permanent decisions’, per the WSJ’s report.
It has 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 controlled the movies for the last 30 years since taking up the mantle from her father
Broccoli is at an impasse with Amazon who acquired Bond distributor MGM as she does not trust the conglomerate with her beloved character
Typically a new Bond is released every couple of years, even when 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 is a risk a conglomerate like Amazon seeks to avoid, while Broccoli is more content with a gut-feel led approach to making the films, according to colleagues.
Her employees pointed out that Broccoli took a chance by casting relative unknown Daniel Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale.
It is the kind of move that nobody could imagine being pulled at algorithm-obsessed Amazon, which takes a more calculated and empirical approach to its business.
Broccoli is also said to be struggling creatively when it comes to a new Bond villain.
The franchise has already had 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 movies though Broccoli has seemingly no interest in making them with the studio.
Broccoli, 64, who has more fully taken the reins of the franchise as her 82-year-old brother nears retirement, has told friends that the people at Amazon are, ‘f***ing idiots.’
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has been tasked with managing the relationship with Broccoli which remains strained
There have been many discussions about who should play 007 next, with some believing they should go so far to cast a Black man or even possiblly a gay man or a woman.
Broccoli has no issues with 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
Back in June 2022, just months after Amazon acquired MGM, Broccoli said at a BFI event that a new Bond film was not coming too soon.
‘I’d say that filming is at least two years away. It’s a reinvention of Bond,’ Broccoli said at the time, insisting they had no one in mind to play 007 yet.
She added that work on the new script had not even started yet, since 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, following nine ordinary people who embark in a global Bond-like adventure in hopes of winning 1 million pounds.
There is work under way on a second season, though it’s unclear when production may begin or when it may be released.
