Bond World is Turned Upside Down
It really is no laughing matter (LOL) but rather a move that is full of apprehension and fear for the beloved franchise.
In a James Bond shakeup that stirred the film industry, Amazon MGM announced Thursday that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they would be stepping back.
Amazon MGM Studios, Wilson and Broccoli formed a new joint venture in which they will co-own James Bond intellectual property rights — but Amazon MGM will have creative control.
"With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects," Wilson said in a statement. "Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future."
The Bond universe is one that I have lived with my whole life. Rumor has it that my Dad took me as a 2 year old to see Dr. No. My early years were spent on the Sean Connery versions.
· From Russia with Love. 1963
· Goldfinger. 1964
· Thunderball. 1965
· You Only Live Twice. 1967
· Diamonds Are Forever. 1971
As I moved into my teens and started to understand the sexuality more with Roger Moore taking the lead, Live and Let Die was a classic, including the Wings closing song. Meanwhile the main titles became a much anticipated event, they would after a cold open and some spectacular stunt. I did not know the influence this would have on me and my career in actually designing main titles. No, I did not get a chance to create a main title for a Bond movie, not even when I worked at Universal Pictures (Wrong Studio), but they influenced generations of motion designers. I could never sell in naked women jumping on a trampoline shot in silhouette. The closest I got was fully dressed Drew Carey jumping on the trampoline in the center of a massive ABC logo.
I loved all the Moore portrayals as he was more of a gentlemen than the misogynist Connery. The Timothy Dalton miscast can be ignored, but when GoldenEye came out with Pierce Brosnan, he added his own charm, always British to the franchise.
When second time Bond director Martin Campbell brought Daniel Craig into the spotlight as new and evolved Bond with a much more physical performance and ironically, a single minded pursuit of love and revenge. His love of Eva Green as Vesper Lynd was a legendary tale that carried a storyline to his last film No time to Die in 2021.
The timeless character spawns decades since the inception from Ian Fleming who wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels center around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service as Fleming served working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of this timeless character.
Amazon bought MGM Studios in 2022 for $6.1 billion, a purchase that was significantly motivated by the acquisition of one of the movies' most beloved and long-running franchises. Since the Daniel Craig era of 007 concluded, Broccoli and Wilson have reportedly clashed with Amazon MGM over the direction of Bond.
The announcement Thursday means that for the first time in more than half a century of Bond, a Broccoli won't be greenlighting the next 007 film, or picking who inherits his tux. Amazon MGM also anticipates expanding the franchise beyond movies.
A key point for the producers in the Amazon acquisition of MGM was a commitment to theatrically release James Bond films. That Bond's future is now in the hands of an e-commerce giant with one of the leading streaming services will immediately prompt doubts from some fans about Bond's new corporate overloads. Other billion-dollar movie franchises, such as the Disney-owned "Star Wars" and Marvel brands, have struggled with over-saturation in recent years.
Even Joe Russo, co-director of four Marvel Cinematic Universe films including "Avengers: Endgame," pleaded to Amazon MGM: "DON'T cinematic universe James Bond."
The next Bond film is expected to feature a new actor in the role. British filmmaking will never be the same. I hope Amazon MGM don’t royally mess this up. I am glad this franchise is not dying.
Live and Let Live.
Source: cbsnews.com
About the Author
Curt Doty, founder of CurtDoty.co, is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.
He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, HeyGen, and DALL-E. He now runs his AI consultancy RealmIQ and companion podcast RealmIQ: Sessions on YouTube and Spotify.
He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx, Davos Worldwide and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design, CSUN and Chapman University.
He currently serves on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation, an AI consultant for DMS+ and is the AI Writer for Parlay Me.