In a shocking announcement, Amazon MGM Studios has announced that it is taking over creative control of the James Bond series as part of a deal with series stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. What does this mean for Hitman developer IO’s new James Bond game, or any other future Bond projects? We don’t know as of yet, but given just how long Broccoli and Wilson have led the franchise, changes could be afoot.
Broccoli and Wilson had managed the James Bond franchise for almost 60 years, following it being passed down from their father, Cubby Broccoli. The pair have been the driving force behind the entire Bond franchise during that period, including selecting the actors who would play the iconic spy.Their work has extended beyond just the movies, as Broccoli at least has been involved in decision-making for the games; it recently came to light that Broccoli raised a number of concerns about the GoldenEye game for Wii.
In a statement, Amazon said Broccoli and Wilson have created a new joint venture where the James Bond IP rights will live, and they will continue to co-own the James Bond series. However, Amazon MGM Studios will “gain creative control of the James Bond franchise” once it closes the deal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are honored to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world,” Amazon MGM Studios boss Mike Hopkins said.
IO’s new James Bond game tells an origin story for the character, and that’s never been done before. When the game was announced in 2020, IO said it was working collaboratively with the James Bond rights-holders on the project, and it subsequently came to light that IO intended for the game to kick off a new trilogy. What impact the new leadership at Amazon MGM Studios could have on IO’s game is unknown, but GameSpot has contacted the studio in an attempt to get more details. We’ve also reached out to Amazon MGM Studios.
IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak told IGN that Project 007 won’t be based on any of the existing Bond movies. Instead, the developer is being allowed to create its own version of James Bond for the game.
“What’s exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story,” said Abrak. “So it’s not a gamification of a movie. It’s completely beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future. And equally important and exciting, it’s a new Bond. It’s a Bond we built from ground up for gamers. It’s extremely exciting with all the tradition and all the history there is there together to work on this together with the family of creating a young Bond for gamers; a Bond that the gamers can call their own and grow with.”
A number of companies have made James Bond video games over the years. One of the most memorable and iconic James Bond games was Rare’s 1997 GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64. Electronic Arts made James Bond games, too, including Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, and Rogue Agent. Activison took over for a period of time, publishing titles like Quantum of Solace and Blood Stone. There hasn’t been a new James Bond game for console since 2012’s 007 Legends, though Cypher 007 came out for mobile in 2023.
Wilson said he plans to “focus on art and charitable projects,” while Broccoli said she will focus on “my other projects.”
Amazon bought MGM in 2022, and since then, it has owned the distibrution rights to the James Bond movies. There hasn’t been a new James Bond movie since then, however, with 2021’s No Time To Die being the most recent entry in the series.
Given this big shakeup, no one should expect the next James Bond movie anytime soon. Deadline reported that “no decisions have been made on the future Bond films including who will star, direct or write the next film.”
Amazon MGM Studios taking over full creative control of the series could pave the way for a decision about the franchise’s future to be made more easily. With Broccoli and Wilson no longer getting to decide the future of the series, many are wondering (and worrying) how this could all shake out.
