Millions of James Bond fans globally are shaken and stirred by the news: Amazon MGM Studios has gained “creative control” of the film franchise. The world’s largest online retailer will now determine not only the next actor to play the Bond character, but the entire direction of a franchise that has spanned 63 years and secured billions of dollars in box office earnings.
Where will the world’s most famous spy go next? Does this question even matter anymore to so-called “modern audiences”?
To answer the second question first, Bond’s future does indeed matter greatly to millions of fans. The Bond films have been viewed by at least 20% of the world’s population, and the character himself — his tuxedo, his iconic lines, his embodiment of Western masculinity (a good thing in my view) — has achieved household status over the decades. As the old saying goes, men want to be him, and women want to be with him.
For Amazon to steward the Bond franchise in good faith, and not just as a soulless money grab à la Disney’s “Star Wars” and Indiana Jones franchises, one thing needs to be clear: James Bond is not just “content,” as former creative controller Barbara Broccoli herself noted.
Bond is a memory passed down from generation to generation. He is a relic but one with resonance. For many boys (and even some girls), he is an introduction to masculinity — the good, the bad and the ugly. He is simultaneously hero, tragic figure and cautionary tale, showing men how to be the best versions of themselves while also exposing the pitfalls of debauchery, excess and sin.
Bond should not become just another thumbnail for Amazon’s catalog of movies and television shows. He is not just merchandise or a quick marketing tool. Forget that, and Amazon risks alienating a fervent Bond fan base. Treat Bond like mere “content,” and the risks will be financial too — lower box office numbers, fewer clicks and a steady erosion of Bond’s impact on the culture.
Just look at what happened to “Star Wars.” Was it better perceived by fans pre-Disney ownership or today, with seemingly endless spin-offs that devalue the 1970s-era brand? What about the Indiana Jones franchise, whose final installment — 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” — entered and exited mainstream discourse with barely a whimper?
The emphasis should be on true fandom. For Amazon MGM Studios to succeed as Bond’s steward, the company should cater to those who will actually line up on the next film’s opening weekend and watch YouTube reviews of the latest Bond girl. The target audience is the fan who may even open an original novel by Ian Fleming, exploring the character’s humble origins in print.
What Bond’s actual fans are not: People who want to fundamentally change the character. Bond matters as much as he does because, since the 1962 release of “Dr. No,” the audience has grown to know, like and trust the man on the screen — or on the page, since Fleming’s “Casino Royale,” in 1953.
If Amazon decides instead to appeal to those who’ve suggested making the character female, gay or otherwise not James Bond, they won’t be targeting fans but a much smaller group that wants to co-opt an iconic character, one they deem offensive to modern sensibilities, into a political crusade.
During recent discussions between Broccoli’s Eon Productions and Amazon, one Amazon employee reportedly offered, “I don’t think James Bond is a hero.” Her view may represent a vocal minority, but it is a minority nonetheless — and one that can’t be effectively monetized.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has asked his followers on X who they want to be the next Bond, with Henry Cavill a popular choice early on. So far, so good.
The path forward for Amazon — and Bond himself — should be common sense: Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Stick to the formula that made the 007 franchise history’s longest running in the first place. It worked for Fleming and the Broccolis. To quote Barbara Broccoli’s father, Cubby, “Whenever you get stuck, go back to Fleming.”
Otherwise, James Bond will fade into the past. And Amazon will become Bond’s greatest villain.
Luka Ladan, who works in PR, is a die-hard James Bond fan.
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