Inside Amazon’s Takeover of JAMES BOND: Broccoli’s Tight Grip, Passing on Christopher Nolan, and What’s Next

For decades, James Bond has been controlled by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and nothing has happened with the franchise since Daniel Craig’s No Time To Die.

But Amazon’s acquisition of MGM in 2022 changed the game. After months of negotiations, the they are finally getting full control over 007’s cinematic future. The deal, which still needs regulatory approval in the U.S. and U.K., will reshape Bond’s trajectory for the first time in the character’s 60-year history.

But the road to Amazon’s takeover wasn’t a smooth one, especially with Broccoli’s hesitance, a snubbed Christopher Nolan, and questions about how Bond fits into the modern Hollywood landscape.

Variety reports that in January 2024, Broccoli met with top Amazon MGM Studios executives Jennifer Salke, Courtenay Valenti, and Julie Rapaport for a night of dinner and industry talk. The goal was to reassure Broccoli about Amazon’s vision for Bond.

But according to sources, the longtime producer left the meeting unimpressed and returned to London unconvinced of Salke’s vision. Not long after that, discussions began for Broccoli and Wilson to loosen their grip on the franchise, which is something they had resisted for years despite the property’s untapped potential.

“If you own a Ferrari but don’t control where or if it goes, it’s frustrating,” said former Amazon Studios chief Roy Price. “The Broccolis have provided the best example in Hollywood history of managing a character. But in today’s complex landscape, it makes sense for Amazon to get in the driver’s seat and control their own destiny.”

The Broccolis had always been reluctant to expand Bond into TV, licensing, or spinoffs, avoiding the kind of massive overexposure that franchises like Marvel and Star Wars have sold out to.

That caution may have been wise, seeing what has become of Star Wars and Marvel in recent years, but some insiders believe Broccoli’s control actually hurt the franchise’s evolution.

One of the biggest missed opportunities was director Christopher Nolan. Following Tenet, the director reportedly expressed interest in taking on Bond. However, Broccoli refused to budge on a crucial point… no director would have final cut over a Bond movie under her leadership.

That condition was a dealbreaker for Nolan, a filmmaker who is known for maintaining full creative control. Instead, he moved on to Oppenheimer, which went on to gross nearly $1 billion and win Best Picture at the Oscars.

It’s insane to me that they shut Nolan down! That was such a bad move. We actually couldn’ve had a Bond film from Nolan!

This wasn’t the first time a top-tier director was blocked from Bond. Steven Spielberg famously wanted to make a Bond movie after Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but Broccoli’s father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, turned him down, deeming him too inexperienced at the time.

Bond has always walked a fine line between tradition and reinvention. Created in the Cold War era, he represents a version of masculinity that doesn’t always fit today’s social climate. But tweaking the formula too much risks pushing away fans.

“There’s something so special and unique about Bond, and you can’t just strip him of the things that make him so debonair and cram five projects into production right now and not totally destroy everything about the property,” said Peter Newman, head of the MBA/MFA graduate dual degree program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. “And if you make Bond more politically correct, you’re going to have a lot of pushback.”

Amazon seems to recognize this, with insiders saying the company is focused on developing a new Bond film first before expanding into other mediums. However, the studio’s track record in television raises questions.

While Amazon has seen major success with The Boys and Fallout, it struggled to turn The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power into the cultural phenomenon it hoped for. And after spending $300 million on the underwhelming spy series Citadel, Amazon is unlikely to take another high-risk gamble with a Bond TV show.

“You have to make a realistic assessment of your team’s capabilities and what are their strengths and what are their weaknesses, and [a Bond TV series] plays right into their weaknesses,” said one industry insider.

While Amazon can’t officially move forward with hiring writers, directors, or a new Bond actor until the Broccoli-Wilson deal is finalized, Hollywood’s top agencies are already pitching talent behind the scenes.

The studio is also looking to bring in a producer with a strong creative vision, possibly someone like David Heyman, who shepherded the Harry Potter franchise.

As for Broccoli, she isn’t completely stepping away. She’s still creatively tied to Amazon and has a strong relationship with Valenti and Rapaport. She’s currently developing a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake at the studio.

While Bond’s future is still being shaped, the industry and fans are watching closely to what happens next.