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Just yesterday we reported on an industry prediction about the next James Bond, and that an announcement could be made next year of the latest actor to take on the coveted role of 007. Today reports are circulating that make the whole thing seem premature.
An article in the Wall Street Journal has said that things are far from rosy in the garden of James Bond and there is one reason – Amazon.
The rights issue regarding Bond has always been complicated. The short version is that MGM owned 50% of the rights, with Eon Productions owning the other 50%. MGM was acquired by Amazon for $8.5 billion. One of the biggest lures for Amazon was the chance to get the Bond rights as part of the deal.
The issue is that, on top of the 50% share of the rights, Eon Productions maintains 100% creative control. They decide who plays Bond, when a new film is made, and what it is about. The studio gets consulted, but the final answer lies with Eon.
This is where the problem apparently lies. According to the article, which was written following interviews with over 20 people including friends of the producers, studio executives, and industry insiders, there is a schism between Amazon and Eon.
Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson
The issue developed when Mike DeLuca and Pamela Abdy, who Broccoli reportedly got along well with, left soon after the acquisition. Their replacement is Jennifer Salke, who was a key driver behind things like the Road House remake and Rings Of Power.
The reports say she immediately irked Barbara Broccoli by referring to James Bond as “content”. Broccoli, whose family has guided Bond on screen since the very start, is said to distrust the Amazon approach where all decisions are based on algorithms.
And it gets worse, much worse.
A female employee of Amazon, in a meeting about Bond, said “I have to be honest, I don’t think James Bond is a hero.” The room fell silent. There has also been a push to “modernize” the character away from a straight, white male. Brocolli has resisted this.
Co-producer Michael G. Wilson couldn’t get a meeting with anyone at Amazon above an ‘L6’ employee, which is six levels below the CEO. This has further annoyed Eon.
Meanwhile, Amazon has been pushing for further spin-offs and more Bond “content”, whereas Eon maintains the value of the brand is that it isn’t saturated. Eon refused a promotional tie-in around the creation of an online casino themed around James Bond.
The relationship has apparently broken down so far that Broccoli has told a friend “These people are fucking idiots!”
In order to try and break the impasse, Amazon has employed production executive Courtenay Valenti, who is now known as the “Barbara whisperer” within the studio. The chances of a new Bond movie any time soon suddenly seem extremely remote.
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