On Thursday, it was revealed that James Bond co-owners and long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will be stepping down from their duties on the 007 franchise, allowing Amazon MGM to gain complete creative control over the decades-long franchise. Amazon purchased MGM in 2017 and with that, gained distribution rights to the James Bond franchise, but not complete ownership. Wilson and Broccoli will …
On Thursday, it was revealed that James Bond co-owners and long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will be stepping down from their duties on the 007 franchise, allowing Amazon MGM to gain complete creative control over the decades-long franchise. Amazon purchased MGM in 2017 and with that, gained distribution rights to the James Bond franchise, but not complete ownership.
Wilson and Broccoli will remain co-owners of the franchise, but their involvement as producers is now behind them. Barbara is the daughter of Albert R. Broccoli, who produced the Bond films up until License To Kill. She took on producing duties as of GoldenEye, joining her half-brother Wilson, who was involved with the franchise ever since Moonraker.
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, issued the following statement:
“We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
Wilson and Broccoli added their own statements to the release:
“With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.” [Wilson]
“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli. I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. With the conclusion of ‘No Time to Die’ and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.” [Broccoli]
This will likely shake up the franchise for sure, which has been quiet ever since No Time To Die was released. There’s been plenty of rumours and speculation about Bond’s return, but the producers were very publically clashing with Amazon over the direction of the franchise, with Broccoli stating that “these people are f**king idiots” in December 2024. She is reported to have been very against the idea of expanding the franchise with spinoffs, TV shows and even a female Bond, ideas that Amazon MGM are more open to. With Wilson and Barbara out, those ideas may become reality now.
