Yesterday was the day the James Bond franchise died. At least, that’s how many fans of the iconic franchise will feel following the news that Amazon will take the creative reins while longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson take a step back. Resisting the urge to rant uncontrollably while weeping to the sound of John Barry’s familiar theme, the idea of Amazon taking over all future James Bond adventures is sure to hit harder than Jaws’ fists and the bombs that took out Daniel Craig’s 007 combined, with fans wondering what kind of ridiculous spin-offs, prequels, and other side hustles will now be concocted in an effort to squeeze every last drop from the series until there is little more left than Bond’s wrung-out depleted corpse. Sadly, the urge to rant a little is impossible to resist entirely.
But how bad could things really be? Well, horrifically, terribly, nightmarishly bad if you’ve been paying even the slightest attention to blockbuster filmmaking and streaming strategies over the last several years.
James Bond Is at a Pivotal Point and Amazon Is Not up to the Task

The unprecedented decision to kill James Bond during the final moments of 2021’s No Time to Die (a moment that now carries a whole new level of irony) has inarguably left the franchise in a difficult place. While the series had largely been made up of individual installments, the Daniel Craig era was much more tied together, with each movie acting as more of a straight-up sequel. And, now that Bond is dead, what does one do next?

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Various ideas have been suggested, such as taking the spy back in time to the ‘50s or ‘60s ala Ian Fleming’s novels, or to simply begin with a new Bond and go the prequel route, centering on a younger version of the character before he obtains his licence to kill. No doubt audiences would easily follow along should either of these suggestions come to fruition, but is Amazon really the right studio to take the reins at such a pivotal point? Frankly, based on a lot of Amazon’s previous output and their reported plans for 007, the answer is an unequivocal “no.”
Amazon Has Already Teased Plans for Expansion in the Name of “Content”

The biggest fear among James Bond fans since the shocking news broke is that Amazon will take 007, toss him into a juicer in one of their many foreboding warehouses, and squeeze out every last drop until the beloved franchise is left so sapped of any prestige that it becomes just another unrelenting shared universe.
Sorry to say, but this is likely exactly what Amazon intends to do. Reports from behind the scenes have claimed that one of the main points of contention between Broccoli and Amazon was the latter’s desire to expand Bond into a cinematic universe. Broccoli may have even branded Amazon “f***ing idiots” over the issue.
A little while after purchasing MGM, Jennifer Salke, global head of Amazon MGM Studios, quickly hinted at bringing the world of 007 onto the small screen. So, get ready for a long-running Moneypenny series, an M prequel, a 008 spin-off, a Felix Leiter movie, a “Young Bond” series, and a Q Branch project as any mystique is slowly stripped away in the name of cursed “content.”
James Bond Could Quickly Become as Watered Down as ‘Star Wars’

The protection of Broccoli and Wilson (and their family before them) of the Bond brand has ensured that every time 007 looked down that familiar gun barrel, it felt like a cinematic event. Even when the movies didn’t hit, it always felt like this was due to creative missteps made by people who genuinely wanted the best for the franchise. Now, with Amazon in charge, this is all likely to change dramatically.
Instead, the poor quality will be largely due to a desire to rush out products on the ever-churning IP conveyor belt, with hollow fan service in the order of the day. This has almost happened before, with original Bond actor Sean Connery being considered for a cameo role as the gruff groundskeeper Kincade in 2012’s Skyfall. Broccoli reportedly pushed back on this peculiar idea, with the late, great Albert Finney playing the role instead. Don’t expect to see this level of restraint again.

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With Amazon taking creative control, James Bond is most likely about to become another once-beloved-now-watered-down franchise, much like Disney has done to the likes of Star Wars and the MCU as the studio endlessly cuts into 007 to extract more and more pounds of flesh, while the next actor chosen for the coveted role will surely be required to have more than a million Instagram followers. Really, this is not just about Bond; this seismic change is also about the principle of maintaining the magic and awe of movies. Magic that is rapidly being eroded. And not even James Bond himself can stop it.
In an attempt to be optimistic, maybe Amazon will do right by Bond. But they will want a financial return from their latest cash cow. And that means expansion. It’s grimly inevitable. As the closing credits of every movie promise, “James Bond will return.” The looming question is, will we even care?