Amazon's takeover of the James Bond franchise sparks concern among fans

James Bond in the hands of an American company—shock, horror! Amazon's takeover of Britain's iconic Bond franchise worries Her Majesty's subjects, and some wonder whether 007 still has a future.

After months of wrangling between the films' producers and Amazon MGM studio, extensively reported in the British press, the final blow fell on Thursday: the American giant will now preside over the destiny of the world's best-known spy.

And it can do as it pleases -- the Broccoli family, which has until now defended the franchise that exported the myth of MI6 glamour worldwide, has ceded creative control to Amazon.

This move has shaken the media in the spy's homeland. The day after the deal was announced, The Independent asked whether Amazon had "buried" the franchise by taking control of it.

Meanwhile, articles in The Times and The Telegraph newspapers declared that James Bond will "never" be the same.

Amazon's exact intentions for the franchise remain unknown.

What is certain, though, is that "Amazon wants a return on their investment," Chloe Preece, a marketing professor at London's ESCP Business School, told AFP.

Preece said Amazon will likely create "spin-offs" or "prequels" and capitalize off merchandising to make good on the deal.

Jeff Bezos's group acquired the legendary studio MGM in 2022 for $8.45 billion, but the Broccoli family retained exclusive control of the James Bond brand under it.

Amazon MGM Studios will take creative control of the James Bond franchise following a landmark joint venture agreement with longtime producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the parties announced on February 20, 2025. Photo by Phillip Faraone and Mandel NGAN / various sources / AFP

007 with a Marvel twist

According to The Times, Amazon paid producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli another $1 billion to secure creative rights.

Amazon has not confirmed the financial terms of the deal.

Bond is going to become "more corporate. The volume (of films) will change", estimated Tom Harrington, who works at Enders Analysis, which provides entertainment industry insights.

Wilson and Broccoli, guarding the character who has shaped British cinema since the 1960s, have resisted spin-offs and licensing that they felt might have tarnished the franchise.

Barbara Broccoli has worked with four different actors in the role of 007—Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig—and has described her tenure as "dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy" inherited from her father, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli.

"It has always been an exclusive, premium, old-fashioned brand," said marketing expert Adrian Mediavilla, with an average movie release time of "around five years."

Conversely, Amazon "want to build an ecosystem, a galaxy like Marvel or Super Mario," according to Mediavilla.

To do this, the studio could create new characters and new storylines. "There is enough content," said Preece.

And enough fans as well. "There is a huge fandom," said Preece, adding that fans were "desperately" waiting for the next film.

The last installment was "No Time to Die" -- the 25th James Bond movie and Craig's Swan song, which made $775 million at the box office.

(FILES) A pedestrian walks past a James Bond 007 logo above the entrance to Burlington Arcade in London on October 4, 2021, following the release of the latest James Bond film "No Time To Die" . Amazon MGM Studios will take creative control of the James Bond franchise following a landmark joint venture agreement with longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the parties announced February 20, 2025. The deal is a landmark shift in the governance of one of cinema's most valuable properties, though Wilson and Broccoli's company will remain co-owners of the franchise through the new venture, a statement said.Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP

James Bond gone 'woke'?

There is a risk of over-exploiting and, in turn, weakening the franchise.

Mediavilla stressed the need to "remain faithful to the brand's heritage," and the character created seven decades ago by English author Ian Fleming.

"The Broccolis have been careful, with a tight team of people who knew the brand. They chose the director; they cared for it," said Preece.

However, like its competitors Netflix and Disney, Amazon works with an armada of scriptwriters who inevitably come and go.

For some, the danger lies elsewhere. British tabloids worry that James Bond is becoming "woke."

"When you look at the evolution of the brand, one might say it has gone woke," said Preece, for whom the Bond character played by Daniel Craig has almost nothing in common with the one played by Sean Connery or Roger Moore.

"They have evolved with the time," added Preece.

The scriptwriters have toned down Bond's caddish side and regular misogynist jabs at women, and in the latest films, have tried to present an image of a more sensitive man.

According to Preece, Amazon may even explore creating a "Bond girl series."

But the big losers could be movie theaters. All the films in the saga are huge blockbusters, but Amazon could now dispense with a cinema release and offer the film directly on its Prime streaming platform.