The Broccolis vs Amazon: The Stalemate That’s Delaying Bond 26

20 December 2024 16:22

Bond 26 is back in the global news cycle this week after a bombshell story emerged alleging behind-the-scenes tensions and frustrations are hindering the film’s development. The issues largely stem from fundamental disagreements between the Bond producers and Amazon regarding the best path forward for the character and the franchise overall. This is creating a stalemate between the parties which they haven’t yet been able to resolve, although there are indications that not all hope is lost.

The Wall Street Journal broke the story after interviewing over 20 executives, business partners and friends close to the ongoing feud. The consensus is that the relationship between Amazon and the producers, namely Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, has been gradually deteriorating to the point that Bond 26 won’t be made anytime soon. As Barbara Broccoli is said to have bluntly put it earlier in the year – “[there’s] no script, no story and no new Bond.”

Some context for those unaware about Amazon’s involvement with the franchise – the company signed an agreement in May 2021 to purchase MGM, which was struggling financially but notably owned 50% of the Bond film rights. Following antitrust approvals, Amazon officially closed the deal and acquired MGM in March 2022. Amazon suddenly had ownership to a vast library of IPs to expand its offering on Prime Video, develop new films/shows and gain a competitive edge against other streaming services. The crown jewel of the deal was James Bond. Amazon now have equal share of the film rights as the Broccolis and this is why neither party is willing to yield.

No one is more irked than Barbara Broccoli. She’s standing her ground against Amazon and its exhaustive approach with intellectual properties (IPs). Broccoli doesn’t want to dilute the ‘Bond brand’ and recognises the danger that Amazon can cause by creating spinoff films and shows, which they’ve been trying to soft pitch in vain. The company’s associates initially believed they could win her over, but according to friends she would often reply saying “did you read the contract?” and end the conversation there.

Barbara Broccoli is also a firm believer in the cinematic experience like her father Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. She’s staying committed to releasing future Bond films on the big screen and for them to be proper events. Even though Amazon promised it would honour this custom, there’s no guarantee it’ll continue to do so in a world where blockbusters like Furiosa and Joker 2 flop when it could simply release it on Prime Video instead. This way of thinking became clear to Broccoli when Amazon executive Jennifer Salke referred to Bond as mere “content” which was a “death knell” to Broccoli, according to the WSJ.

Another fundamental disagreement concerns the selection process for the next actor to play James Bond. Historically the Broccoli family has gone with their gut instinct to cast an unknown actor despite the associated risks. These choices have always worked out: Daniel Craig’s ‘blond Bond’ being the latest stellar casting choice both critically and financially. In contrast, Amazon aren’t keen to cast an unknown since their algorithms won’t be able to reliably predict a box office success. Barbara Broccoli doesn’t trust this cold, calculated approach to filmmaking. On paper the producers have full creative control, however. So Amazon shouldn’t have a say in this to begin with, but the company is managing to exert pressure on them since it will handle the financing.

Due to all this, Barbara Broccoli doesn’t believe that Amazon’s business model or practices are a good fit for the Bond franchise. She simply doesn’t want to make a new Bond film alongside Amazon and went as far to tell her friends “these people are f*cking idiots.” She won’t make creative decisions until Amazon bows down to her, but this is creating the impasse. To ease tensions Amazon enlisted executive Courtenay Valenti, nicknamed the ‘Barbara Whisperer,’ as an intermediary to find common ground between the parties. However, it appears that a detente hasn’t been reached despite Valenti’s best efforts.

Michael G. Wilson is similarly frustrated with Amazon. The WSJ reported that he’s complained to friends that he couldn’t meet senior leaders at the company. More specifically, managers above an ‘L6’ role which is six levels below the ‘L12’ CEO Andy Jassy. This lack of communication would certainly exacerbate the standoff, however someone close to the company has refuted Wilson’s claims, placing the blame on him.

This back and forth shows no immediate end in sight. Although the WSJ points out that Wilson’s son, Gregg Wilson, is expected to take control of the franchise after the current producers have retired. Gregg has worked in producing roles as far back as 2008’s Quantum of Solace and is more open minded to updating Bond. Perhaps even in line with Amazon’s ideas. People close to Gregg view him as more of a progressive individual who might be willing to cast someone different than the usual white, male actor for instance. What exactly this could mean is anyone’s guess at this point, however.

A silver lining to the story is that the Bond producers are planning to work with Amazon on a remake of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Cubby Broccoli produced the original which received an Oscar nomination for its title song. Despite not being Bond-related, this film should still be close to their hearts so it’s a positive step forward that they agreed to move ahead with the film. Barbara Broccoli had previously worked with Amazon on Till and is collaborating on the production for season 2 of the 007: Road to a Million series. This shows that their relationship might only be temporarily fraught on the topic of the James Bond films and that not all bridges have been burned.

In any case, it seems that there won’t be any significant progress on Bond 26 until both parties are willing to make a few compromises. Bond is currently stuck between two eras of Hollywood, each with their own downsides. The Broccoli family’s old-school approach comes with extreme risks as their creative choices might not resonate in today’s world. Amazon’s modern ‘content’ algorithms and general lack of restraint at expanding the franchise could ruin it completely. These two eras need to meet in the middle to put an end to the stalemate. Of course, all the while the Broccolis should still stick to their family motto… “Don’t have temporary people make permanent decisions.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall – subscribers only)