The James Bond series will likely get spin-offs from Amazon MGM Studios, and the storyline from an underrated James Bond tie-in could be the perfect means of expanding the franchise. Debuting on the big screen over sixty years ago, James Bond remains one of the single most successful film franchises in the world. Expectations were already high for the next entry in the series following No Time To Die, which gave Daniel Craig’s version of the character a conclusive ending. It’s only gotten more important now that Amazon MGM Studios has complete creative control over the future of James Bond.

For years, tie-ins for the series were kept to a minimum while spin-off ideas were sH๏τ down before they ever made it to the big screen. Now, it seems Amazon MGM will have the chance to build out the franchise however they see fit. If the studio is looking for James Bond stories from the franchise’s past to expand upon, one path forward would shift focus away from MI:6 in ways that could reintroduce iconic characters, organically expand the universe, and establish the ultimate foil to James Bond. Here’s why a forgotten video game should inspire James Bond‘s future.

Amazon MGM Is Likely Going To Expand James Bond’s Universe

James Bond Will Inevitably Be Getting More Content In The Future

Creative control of the James Bond franchise transferring to Amazon MGM means the franchise is likely going to expand through spin-offs, one of which should look to the plot of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent for inspiration. Albert R. Broccoli was a crucial producer on the early James Bond films, with his daughter Barbara Broccoli and son Michael G. Wilson retaining creative control of the franchise after his retirement and death. Their тιԍнт control on the franchise resulted in many thwarted films and spin-offs that didn’t match their expectations. This includes a Christopher Nolan-directed James Bond film that didn’t come to fruition.

However, Broccoli and Wilson have signed over control of the franchise to Amazon MGM. Amazon has now effectively paid for James Bond twice, they will likely use this opportunity to expand the film series into a more widespread franchise. This has raised fears that it could dilute the brand, similar to the struggles faced by the Star Wars and Marvel properties. Any future Bond spin-offs will need to be able to work without detracting from the film series, otherwise they are risking the franchise in a major way — and adapting a 21-year-old James Bond video game could avoid that problem.

Rogue Agent Was A Fascinating Concept For A James Bond Spinoff

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Expands The World Of James Bond’s Oldest Enemies

One place to look for inspiration for Bond spin-offs that don’t weaken the overall James Bond franchise could be video games, specifically 2004’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. Released by EA Games across multiple platforms, Rogue Agent is a non-canon James Bond story that focuses on a mysterious MI:6 Agent only referred to as “Hunter” in the game’s instruction manual. Hunter’s dangerous nature, ruthless tactics, and drive for revenge against Dr. No causes him to embrace “reckless brutality” in a way that even M and the rest of MI:6 can’t tolerate. This leads directly to his dismissal from the service.

Afterwards, the agent is contracted by Goldfinger and joins SPECTRE. The game follows Hunter as he becomes entangled in a conflict between Goldfinger and Dr. No. Dubbed GoldenEye, Hunter must use his skills, his wits, and his advanced golden cybernetic eye to become a dangerous new player in the dark underbelly of Bond’s world. While the specifics could be tweaked to accommodate whatever James Bond universe Amazon MGM devices upon, setting up a dangerous and dark foil to James Bond could be a clever way to expand the franchise without treading too much on the core Bond characters and concepts.

A Rogue Agent TV Series Could Expand Bond’s World In Huge Ways

Rogue Agent Could Set Up The Future Of James Bond And Naturally Reintroduce Fan Favorite Villains

A Rogue Agent TV show could be the ideal spin-off of the James Bond franchise. It doesn’t necessarily require Bond or even most of his supporting cast beyond the set-up of Hunter being a former MI:6 agent, meaning it could remain naturally separate from the movies. Hunter’s place within SPECTRE would allow a Rogue Agent spin-off to introduce new takes on classic villains, establishing a larger universe of familiar faces while James Bond himself continues to chart a new path forward in his cinematic adventures. A Rogue Agent spin-off could set up potential threats for Bond to eventually confront.

Rouge Agent could also be a fascinating exploration of the villains in the James Bond series, potentially adding new depth to the agents of SPECTRE who are largely straight-forward villains in the movies. Hunter’s skewed morals and darker approach to spycraft would highlight what Bond could become if he abandoned his principles, making him an ideal foil to Bond. It could even be a clever way to explore the often unseen fallout of MI:6’s actions on a global scale, giving a completely different perspective on the universe. Rogue Agent has a lot of potential as a James Bond spin-off.

Prime Video Has Already Proven It Can Tackle The Spy Genre

Citadel Proves Prime Video Can Build Out An Inter-Connected Spy TV Universe

Prime Video has already proven that Amazon Studios is capable of building a larger spy setting with Citadel. The show focuses on a number of secret agents from a seemingly defunct organization, with different shows like Citadel, Citadel: Diana, and Citadel: Honey Bunny exploring different corners of a shared world. Rogue Agent could take lessons from those shows and apply them to its own take on the espionage genre. Each of those shows builds on a larger world but operates as a stand-alone story. In a similar way, Rogue Agent could organically build a new version of James Bond’s world.

A full show about Hunter and his role in SPECTRE could be a great way to expand the scope of James Bond‘s world without requiring the тιтular super-spy to be around for all of it. It could even be a great place to reestablish the rules of the setting, giving Hunter (and the audience) a chance to see the history and potential future of this series from a typically unseen perspective. If Amazon MGM Studios are going to expand the James Bond franchise with spin-offs, then it should look to unique takes on the franchise, like Rogue Agent, for inspiration.