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Ever since the world said goodbye to Daniel Craig’s James Bond, we have been patiently waiting for the next step in the story. “Who will be the next 007” is a question on every cinema enthusiast’s mind and the short answer is, we don’t know yet and it looks like Barbara Broccoli doesn’t either. Best known for her work on theJames Bondfilms, she is responsible for controlling the franchise and has the final say in any and all decisions.
She inherited the power from her father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, and was working hand-in-hand with her stepbrother, Michael Wilson, to make important calls for the franchise. To the Broccoli family, James Bond is more than just another character to exploit. It’s an heirloom. Thus, when studios like Amazon try to turn it into a money-making machine, it doesn’t sit right with her.
Barbara Broccoli has reservations about James Bond and Amazon
Amazon bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for $8.5 billion and subsequently, the rights to release theJames Bondfilms fell into their hands. Apparently, this move hasn’t madeBarbara Broccolias happy as some may have thought.
According to a piece byThe Wall Street Journal, Broccoli doesn’t believe that Amazon is a good home for the franchise as the company is all about the business of selling things. So, why did she say yes to the deal in the first place despite her reservations?
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Well, she didn’t want to stand in the way of the massive payout for MGM’s owners and then there was the fact that the Broccoli family would retain the right to have the final say in any and all decisions regarding Bond.
But now, due to her reservations and the friction between the two parties, the next Bond film seems to be stuck in limbo. As per WSJ, not much progress has been made in the direction of 007’s next era. This means, there is no script, no story, andno actorjust yet.
As far as Broccoli is concerned,“The people (Amazon) are f*cking idiots.”Clearly, the relationship between her and Amazon has only soured after the deal went through.
Turning James Bond into “content” doesn’t sit right with Barbara Broccoli
It doesn’t take long for popular franchises to expand into new territories. Whether it’s merchandise, theme parks, spin-offs, and so on, it’s only a matter of time before things get exploited in the industry. Now, with the success that it flaunts,James Bondhas been approached for the same for decades. However, Broccoli is not interested in turning the franchise into a money-making machine.
She has already turned down video games, spin-off television shows, and a tie-in casino. So now, while Amazon believes that it can get her to agree to expand the Bond universe, they might want to think again.
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Mike Hopkins, who oversees the business of Amazon Prime Video, holds the belief that they could win Broccoli’s trust and be allowed to do much more with the franchise.
When the Head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke, deemed James Bond as“content”in an early meeting, Broccoli was not happy. It was like a “death knell”to the producer, as per her friend.
Broccoli has always preferred taking risks when it comes to the franchise. For example, the studio bet onDaniel Craigwhen he was fairly unknown but now, under Amazon’s care, casting an unknown as 007 is hard to imagine.
In the end, the truth is that Amazon can pull any and all strings they want but the final say will continue to be with the Broccoli family.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
