Amazon acquiring creative control over future James Bond movies is the start of a new era, since one family has dictated the direction of the franchise for 63 years. After 2021’s No Time to Die, which actually killed the iconic British agent, I had a feeling the franchise would never be the same. After all, during Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond, streaming services had changed how viewers consume media. Since Amazon acquired MGM Studios, which had the distribution rights to James Bond movies, it seemed obvious that the tech company would want more 007 content on its streaming services.

Leading up to the February 20, 2025 report that Amazon now has full creative control of the James Bond franchise, there were a lot of reports that the company and Barbara Broccoli were clashing over the direction of Bond 26. Barabara Broccoli inherited the franchise from her father, Albert Broccoli, so it makes sense that she is extremely protective over it. However, she ultimately ended up giving up creative control, which now allows Amazon to do whatever they want with the franchise. This means that the Broccoli era of the James Bond franchise has now officially come to an end.

The Broccoli Era Of James Bond Movies Is Over After 63 Years & 25 Movies

The Broccoli Family No Longer Has Creative Control Of The James Bond Franchise

In 1961, movie producer Albert Broccoli formed Eon Production with Harry Saltzman, who had the rights to most of the James Bond novels. Just a year later after their team-up, Dr. No was released and proved that James Bond could be a mᴀssive cinematic franchise. This led to 25 James Bond movies being produced by Eon Productions over 63 years. A couple of standalone James Bond movies were not released by Eon Productions, such as 1967’s Casino Royale and 1983’s Never Say Never Again, but for the most part, Broccoli had full control over the direction of the franchise.

Producing Bond movies turned into a family business when Albert Broccoli’s step-son, Michael G. Wilson, came on board to help make 1979’s Moonraker. Eight years later, Albert’s daughter, Barbara, also began producing the franchise with 1987’s The Living Daylights, which was Timothy Dalton’s debut as 007. Albert Broccoli pᴀssed away in 1996, so Barbara Broccoli and Wilson have been in charge of the franchise since. However, that has all changed now that Amazon has creative control of future James Bond movies.

Future James Bond Movies Will Be Different, There’s No Way To Avoid It

The James Bond Franchise Will Likely Expand Under Amazon’s Control

Recently, it has been clear that Amazon and Broccoli have different visions for the future of the James Bond franchise. Broccoli has always favored quality over quanтιтy, whereas Amazon wants to capitalize on the popularity of James Bond. Since the two parties haven’t been able to agree, the upcoming 26th James Bond movie has been stuck in development for years. However, now that Broccoli has given up creative control of the franchise, Amazon is now free to proceed however they want.

This means that future James Bond movies will undoubtedly be very different from what audiences have become used to seeing. More than likely, Amazon will very quickly try to turn James Bond into an even bigger franchise, which includes various spinoffs. Instead of just focusing on a standalone mission for 007, future James Bond movies will also likely prioritize setting up spinoff movies and TV shows. For example, it wouldn’t be surprising if characters like Felix Leiter and Moneypenny received their own spinoffs.

Bond 26 Must Now Avoid Feeling Like A Parody Of 007’s Eon Era

Bond 26 May Be More Lighthearted

Since James Bond is a franchise that has been around since 1962, it has inevitably had to evolve over the years. While she had full control over the franchise, Barbara Broccoli embraced the changing times and produced several incredibly successful James Bond films. For example, after audiences got tired of sillier Bond films, especially after 2002’s Die Another Day, Broccoli changed course and produced several films with a darker tone.

All of Craig’s Bond films, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale, are darker and edgier, but recent reports have revealed that the next James Bond film may return to a more lighthearted tone. It seems like Amazon wants to make James Bond projects that are more closely aligned to the movies from the 1960s and 70s. While these films are loved by many, Amazon has to be careful not to just parody the original James Bond films. Overall, now that a new era has begun, it will be interesting to see what direction Amazon takes with the James Bond franchise.