The James Bond franchise has been through several phases since the release of Dr. No in 1962, with seven actors having played the тιтular character in film. Now, with the news that James Bond has been officially acquired by Amazon MGM, the iconic British franchise it set up to be entering a new era altogether. However, the last time that James Bond was in another company’s hands, the results weren’t as inspiring as fans had hoped.

Amazon owning the rights to Ian Fleming’s character (and the movies made from his works) means that several new James Bond projects will likely be made as part of this new cinematic era. This could include spinoffs, side projects, or even remakes of existing films — there are no limits to what Amazon can do with this IP. While this may be exciting to some long-time Bond fans, it’s worth noting that Eon Productions will not be involved in Amazon’s Bond. There have only been a handful of non-Eon Bond films before, and they were all received poorly.

There Are 3 Non-Eon James Bond Movies & None Of Them Are Very Good

Each Of The Non-Eon James Bond Movies Ultimately Falls Flat

While it’s commonly said there have been 25 James Bond movies, this isn’t strictly the case. There are 25 James Bond movies that were made under the supervision of Eon Productions (with the ᴀssistance of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson), and three James Bond movies made separately. These are 1954’s Casino Royale, 1967’s Casino Royale, and 1983’s Never Say Never Again. Each of these movies adopts a completely different style, but none of them were received as well as Eon’s versions of the stories.

1954’s Casino Royale marked the first time James Bond appeared on-screen, before Eon’s acquisition of the rights and their subsequent monopoly over the film series. The film is a very traditional spy drama that’s much safer than Eon’s Bond films, but nowhere near as engaging. The most interesting of these three movies is definitely Never Say Never Again, which saw Sean Connery return to the role 12 years after Diamonds Are Forever. It’s an unofficial sequel to Thunderball, and while it contains some excellent action sequences and fun plot points, it doesn’t come close to the original.

Amazon MGM’s James Bond Must Avoid The Mistakes Of Past Non-Eon Movies

The Studio Has To Start Fresh With James Bond

It’s possible that Amazon’s Bond franchise will run into the same problems that faced previous non-Eon Bond movies; ranging from lack of viewer interest, unoriginal stories, and behind-the-scenes conflicts with returning actors. The studio must ensure that these problems don’t kill the franchise before it starts, and the easiest way to do this is a complete reboot. Amazon must cast a new actor as James Bond and start the entire series fresh, offering new stories that don’t merely feel like repeats of narratives we’ve seen before. This won’t be easy, but it’s the best way to keep James Bond alive.