THE James Bond films will now be under the creative control of Amazon MGM Studios, marking the end of the Broccoli family’s association with the franchise.

The Bond films were launched by Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli in 1962, before his daughter and stepson took over.

According to BBC News, long-serving masterminds Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson announced on Thursday they were stepping down, turning over creative control to Amazon MGM Studios.

According to Variety Magazine, the studio, Wilson and Broccoli have formed a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights. The three parties will remain co-owners of the iconic franchise, but Amazon MGM will have creative control.

The new deal comes after mounting speculation about the fate of the British spy, four years after his last outing in No Time to Die, which was also Daniel Craig’s final appearance in the role.

Amazon will now decide which actor will take over the famous character, but there is still no timeframe for when that that will happen or when the next film will be made.

No Time to Die — the 25th James Bond film and Daniel Craig’s fifth and final turn as 007 — was released in 2021 and earned $775 million. Since then, despite endless speculation in the press, there have been no announcements regarding the timeline for production of the next film or Craig’s replacement.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2025