Jeff Bezos asks fans to pick next Bond as Amazon buys 007 for $1 billion

According to the Guardian, Amazon has paid over $1 billion for “creative control” of the James Bond series. The agreement has elicited conflicting reactions from the movie actors.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the British-American descendants of film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and longstanding guardians of the Bond movies, announced an agreement with Amazon MGM Studios on Thursday.

The second-biggest company in the world in revenue acknowledged that it and the two had established a joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property, with Amazon taking “creative control.”

Although Amazon claimed that the financial arrangements were solely for its benefit, it is believed that control of 007 was given up for roughly $1 billion (£790 million), a sum that was initially revealed by the US Hollywood news outlet Deadline.

The actor who most recently portrayed Bond, Daniel Craig, congratulated Broccoli and Wilson on Friday. “My respect, admiration, and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished,” Craig, who made his debut in Casino Royale in 2006, stated.

“I hope I can be a part of whatever brilliant endeavors Barbara embarks on, and I wish Michael a long, restful (and well-earned) retirement.”

However, former “Bond girl” Valerie Leon expressed fear that 007 would no longer be British if Amazon were in charge.

Leon, 81, co-starred with Roger Moore and Sean Connery in the movies The Spy Who Loved Me and Never Say Never Again. “Life changes, and everything moves on and changes,” she said on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, so she is not concerned.

According to her, “The Bond franchise was very British, and it won’t be any more.” Furthermore, it goes without saying that they will not enter theaters if they produce movies. It simply won’t be the same because everything has changed so much, and I’m still quite traditional.

With creative control, Amazon will be able to proceed with new movies and maybe TV spin-offs without Wilson and Broccoli’s consent. Wilson and Broccoli have been in charge of maintaining the integrity of the character since it was first conceived in 1953 by author Ian Fleming.

Four years have passed since the release of No Time To Die in 2021, and because there isn’t a new Bond movie in development, the present break is poised to become the longest vacation in 007 history.