A new report reveals that Amazon pitched a series of James Bond TV shows, but they were sH๏τ down. The 007 universe experienced a major shakeup recently when Amazon took over the creative ownership of the Bond franchise. This would mean that years-long producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson would officially cede control of the franchise’s content for Bond 26 and all other upcoming properties. Following this change, the recent Academy Award telecast featured an extended tribute to the franchise, featuring film clips, dancing, and more.
Per a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, several James Bond TV shows were suggested by Amazon in the past. Franchise sources indicated that Amazon had previously approached Broccoli and Wilson with pitches for TV shows, which the producers later determined they had no interest in. One of the pitches was a spinoff series based on Moneypenny. Another series was going to be about Felix Leiter, and it is possible that they even had something brewing with a female version of 007.
What This Means For The Bond Franchise
Bond TV Shows Are More Likely Now
Because Amazon now controls the franchise’s creative decisions, this reveal begs the question of whether a Bond series will happen now. Wilson has spoken out about the potential of 007 spinoff shows, saying that he and his team “just try to focus on making good pictures.” He stated that making a TV show, which would be 10 to 20 hours in length, is a “big commitment.” Sibling Broccoli said even more directly that “it’s not something [they’ve] ever wanted to do.”
As such, if Amazon were to move forward with their TV show pitches of yesteryear, it would go directly against the original producers’ vision for the franchise. This is not exactly good news for the Bond universe, as Broccoli and Wilson led the franchise to success for many years. However, with shows like Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power or offshoots of their homegrown franchises, such as The Boys-based series Gen V or the upcoming Reacher spinoff, Amazon is much more inclined to expand IPs with TV shows, making the Bond TV development more likely.
Our Take On This Bond News
The Specific Pitches Are Intriguing And Troublesome
In this news, I’m most fascinated by the potential of a Bond spinoff TV series. The franchise has never had a woman play the leading special agent and was not planning to with Bond 26, making Amazon’s potential female-based Bond particularly notable. Even a Moneypenny-focused show would be new for the James Bond franchise, as the movies have previously emphasized the male lead characters. As evidenced by revivals like 2016’s Ghostbusters, women-focused reimaginings of classic IPs do not always go swimmingly, so it would be interesting to see how Amazon would navigate these TV shows should they go down that path.
Source: THR
