Amazon took creative control over the 007 franchise for a mere $20 million this year

Back in February, Amazon announced the new partnership restructure with veteran producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions. Recent tax filings by the production company revealed that Amazon paid $20 million to get creative control over where the franchise was headed.

This comes after a bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal that the future of the Bond franchise was uncertain as relationships between the family that controlled the fate of the secret agent and Amazon were strained, largely pertaining to the direction of the franchise. 

After Amazon purchased MGM for $8.4 billion, Eon Productions retained creative control of the franchise itself; Amazon only had the rights to make and release the movies but lacked any say otherwise. Decisions such as who would play the new Bond, after No Time to Die, being Daniel Craig’s last time as 007, would therefore be subject to approval from Eon Productions before the partnership was established.

Tensions reportedly ran quite high as Broccoli and Amazon didn’t see eye to eye about who and what the secret agent stands for in modern cinema. Amazon, according to her, has a more cookie-cutter “algorithm-centric” view. She allegedly insisted that Bond be a British Man and had no issues with casting a person of color as an actor for the role while remaining unconcerned about their sexual orientation.

Amazon, on the other hand, preferred known actors for the prestigious job and questioned whether the “valorization of a dangerously violent, womanizing secret agent is what’s best for society today.” This comes in the light of middling reviews for Amazon’s previous high-stakes play involving the Lord of the Rings universe, a self-produced series known as “The Rings of Power”.

The deal, as per The Hollywood Reporter, includes provisions ensuring “the Broccoli family will continue to have economic exposure to the Bond franchise through the joint venture structure of the deal. It is also possible that there are other elements, like earnouts or stock options, that could impact the value of the final sale price. Sources said at the time that the total value could be closer to $1 billion.”

The studio is now working on their latest Bond film, and is actively looking for the new Bond with Denis Villeneuve of Dune, directing,  David Heyman and Amy Pascal producing, and Steven Knight writing. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had previously asked people who they’d like to play the role, and the overwhelming majority voted for Henry Cavill. It’s also no secret that Cavill auditioned for the 2006 movie Casino Royale. 

The as-yet untitled movie is expected to begin filming in 2027, and a trailer could drop as early as 2028.