When Amazon MGM Studios announced it had officially taken full creative control of the James Bond film series, the general mood among fans wasn’t one of shock but of joint disappointment. Yet no one could properly articulate their feelings — until Daniel Craig stepped in to bid farewell to longtime co-producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
As Jeff Bezos celebrated taking over yet another crown jewel of cinema — jokingly suggesting he’d let social media decide the next Bond (or at least, one would hope he was joking) — the mood in the Broccoli household was far less festive. Wilson and Broccoli, the siblings of late British producer Albert R. Broccoli, had overseen every creative decision since the early 1960s. Wilson announced he was stepping back from Hollywood, while Broccoli confirmed she was also leaving the Bond franchise but would continue producing other projects. She’s already faring well post-Bond, having worked on the 2022 biopic Till.
Craig released a public statement to Variety thanking the two for their stewardship. He first congratulated Wilson, saying, “I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well-deserved) retirement.” For Broccoli, however, Craig made it clear he was always available to her, adding, “And whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular, and I hope I can be part of them.”
It’s unclear what ultimately ended the partnership between Amazon and the Broccolis, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The Wall Street Journal had already reported tensions between the two sides, with the Broccolis allegedly calling Amazon executives “idiots.” Broccoli was reportedly frustrated by Amazon’s insistence on referring to Bond as mere “content” and even less thrilled with its attempts to turn the property into a sprawling franchise — something apparently written into their contract’s fine print. In the end, Amazon had to choose between the Broccolis and franchising, and the outcome was always inevitable.
Perhaps the most revealing part of the WSJ article was how Amazon is now making creative decisions based purely on metrics — such as an actor’s past earnings in similar roles. Former Amazon executives admitted this approach severely limited creativity and originality. And for a franchise like Bond, that’s vital.
What set Bond apart was its restraint — how little it revealed about its lead character, the way it selected its soundtracks, even how it titled its films. It was always considered a mark of class that “Bond” never even appeared in any of the titles. Everything the Broccolis did with the franchise felt distinctive. If they lose that, what’s left?
It seems that with Bezos’ announcement, the plan is to flood the market with remakes, origin stories, and every populist creative decision that looks good on paper — but could ultimately leave them with another lukewarm franchise like Citadel on their hands.
Ironically, even Daniel Craig was an unpopular choice when the Broccolis chose him — a decision that faced pushback from studio executives at the time. The Broccolis were a throwback to the old studio system, where producers drove creative decisions, championed new talent, and protected directors as they worked to find magic on set. Wherever Barbara Broccoli takes her talents next, neither we nor Craig can wait. But as for Bond, its future may also soon be decided by Instagram follower counts.
