Art and Culture # 128: James Bond franchise under dominion of Amazon Studios
Here we go again...Amazon about to ruin another franchise, AGAIN!
Nothing smells worse than undercooked food is an undercooked idea. And James Bond, despite some hardcore Pierce Brosnan fans claiming he’s the best Bond ever, James Bond has always been a dominant face of masculine culture.
Created by Ian Fleming, and produced by Beverly and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who have now sold the rights to Amazon for “for $US6.1 billion ($9.5 billion), giving it the right to distribute all the 007 films.”[1]. It took me a while in order to commit any real comment to the Amazon buyout of the James Bond franchise. A franchise that defined Art and Culture ever since Ian Fleming penned “Casino Royale” published April 13th, 1953 by Jonathan Cape.
James Bond represented men at their peak, where slapping a femme fatale was okay, as long as they were bad. Sean Connery’s flirtatious and yet subtle jabs at women was always hilarious, even if they were just as funny as you think. Pierce Brosnan’s pointed face showed no real character growth over the length of his tenure as James Bond. Timothy Dalton, of “License to Kill” fame, according to Variety, is shocked that, according to Variety, “got along very well” with Barbara and her husband, “Cubby” exemplifying that “he was a very powerful and strong anchor for the project. Nothing went on that he didn’t want and it’s sad that that he’s not with us anymore, that’s all I can say.” But through all the good cheer, he added, that Amazon, “will be doing their best to make a lot of money, so hopefully they will make good movies.”[2]
What makes this a scary proposition is that while original creators do retire at some point, Amazon’s track record of misguiding once great franchise to their graves is unmistakably apparent. While The Rings of Power might have an “outstanding” critical reception, most Lord of the Rings fans regard Amazon’s “adaptation” with outright belligerence and hostility.
It’s worse pretending the situation will get any better. Amazon, other than their fabulous delivery service, has a terrible track record regarding IP and how they tell stories. NPR’s Lauren Frayer commented that Amazon’s deal will “lead to the Americanization of Bond. Imagine the Horror.” [3]
While all of this might yet be horrifying, even to me, there are a couple outcomes regarding Amazon’s James Bond acquisition. This could lead to an interesting portrayal of Bond. Bond is very British and his patriotism could be infused with an American spirit that the series has needed for a long time. Only Bond becoming female centric, as in making the lead character female, should be left on the cutting room floor. Bond is a male centric franchise and should be left that way.
Another outcome is that Amazon, which was known for a text book delivery service, might reinvigorate Ian Fleming’s legacy with new soft cover and hard cover reprints that will help strengthen the literary estate.
Because if Amazon does one thing extremely well, is that every book reader, no matter what, can look forward to very comprehendible reprints with movie tie ins that can help James Bond succeed and help Ian Fleming find more readers, even if the shows don’t work out.
Razorfist, youtuber and author, argues that we might see a new video game in the works, but the obvious is that without Ian Fleming there would be bar set for masclunity to achieve. No theme songs would exist. No films would exist. Ian Fleming would have to remain an anonymous banker, if that were the case.
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-21/james-bond-franchise-handed-over-to-amazon-by-broccoli-dynasty/104965582#.
[2] https://variety.com/2025/film/news/timothy-dalton-surprised-shocked-amazon-mgm-james-bond-franchise-1236316247/. Found March 7th, 2025.
[3] https://www.npr.org/2025/02/23/nx-s1-5305102/amazons-james-bond-takeover-is-met-with-outrage-by-british-fans-of-the-spy-franchise. NPR. “Amazon’s James Bond takeover is met with outrage by British fans of the Spy Franchise”