By Many have been wondering why, three years after “No Time to Die” opened and five years after it wrapped production, EON Productions and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson still haven’t decided on a new James Bond candidate yet.
A new feature piece in The Wall Street Journal has now come up with an explanation, saying the franchise’s future is currently in limbo as EON and MGM’s owner Amazon are reportedly at an impasse.
The paper claims the “relationship between the family that oversees the franchise and the e-commerce giant has all but collapsed.” Because of that, any “near-term hope of a new Bond film” has been “scuttled”.
This is a problem as the Bond franchise has represented a significant share of the $6.5 billion the company paid for the studio and has long been MGM’s biggest cash cow.
Broccoli maintains strong control over the franchise and decides when a new Bond movie can go into production – Amazon is unable to make any new Bond projects without her approval and involvement.
The paper, who spoke to over 20 people who are familiar with the feud, claims she “doesn’t trust algorithm-centric Amazon” with the character.
Amazon has reportedly presented Broccoli with a number of ideas for Bond spin-offs, reimaginings, and more. Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke says Broccoli was irked in one early meeting when Salke reportedly referred to Bond by a naughty word – ‘content’. Using that term was “like a ‘death knell’ to Broccoli” according to a source.
At a last update from Broccoli, the film has no script, story or actor in mind yet for the role.
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