The Name’s Bond, Amazon Bond - Licensed to Deliver
Issue #15 - March 2025
[Disclaimer: The James Bond Lexicon monthly newsletter is a personal project by Alan & Gillan Porter, and represents our personal views. It does not reflect the views or opinions of The Ian Fleming Foundation of which Alan serves as a board member.]
Like many others, I was surprised by the news that broke on February 20th that, as part of a new arrangement, long-time Bond movie producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli would be stepping back and that Amazon would now have creative control of the Bond franchise for movies and TV.
Over the next few days, I received a lot of messages asking me what I thought about it and what I felt the future held for the franchise. My response was that I was taking time to let it sink in. In the meantime, it seemed like almost every Bond and media-related podcast and YouTube channel was sharing their thoughts. It was also a topic of discussion in many mainstream media outlets. I wasn’t sure I really had anything to add.
And then I saw all the criticism from long-time traditional Bond fans about the Bond songs tribute section at the Oscars (below) and it got me thinking about the future of 007 in the Amazon era.
There is no denying that we are at the point of a seismic shift in the way that Bond will be presented for a new generation. And this may be a controversial take - but maybe it’s about time.
A few years ago I wrote an article and hosted an online discussion asking “Is 25 Enough?” wondering if the movie franchise had run its natural course after 25 movies. The lack of news over the last few years made it seem that Eon had lost interest in its most valuable property.
Which brings me back to the Amazon deal. It was well reported that one of the breaking points in the relationship between Eon and Amazon was the use of the word ‘content’ to describe Bond. But the truth is the world of media has changed and it is now all about leveraging content assets. This isn’t new, Disney has been a master at it for over 70 years.
Bond can no longer sustain itself as a high-value brand with an occasional movie every five to six years. The fan base is aging out and it no longer appeals to a younger audience the way it used to.
Which brings me back to the piece at the Oscars. First off that tribute piece was one of the most talked about things at the Oscars. How many other movie franchises have ever got a prime-time tribute like that just because of a change of producers? - None.
Yes, the reaction on the Bond social network was almost overwhelmingly negative to having these young trendy singers do their interpretations of classic Bond songs. But the comments I saw online in the more general arenas were the exact opposite. The fans of those singers loved the performances and were delighted. If that means they are introduced to the music of Bond, and then go search out the originals, and maybe the movies they came from - then that can only be a good thing for the franchise. Right?
It was reported that the Broccoli buyout cost Amazon around $1B. If that’s the case they have a major investment in Bond and 007 is going to have to generate a lot of revenue to recoup that over and above the production and marketing costs of any new movies or TV shows. So yes, I expect we will see a dramatic increase in Bond related content.
On the movie front, it seems that the two franchises that were Bond’s most impactful competition, Bourne and Mission Impossible, appear to have run their course leaving an opportunity for a new revitalized Bond movie series (which I’m hoping will get back to a regular 2 to 3-year release cadence).
Maybe Amazon will also follow the path already taken by the literary side of the house with its various Bond-adjacent book series, and we’ll get the Moneypenny and Felix Leiter streaming shows. Also, expect a much stronger social media and marketing push for whatever they produce.
As for attracting the younger audience, the franchise needs another Goldeneye N64 video game moment. Something that will get people excited about the character of Bond and his world again even if they haven’t seen any of the 25 Eon movies. Hopefully, that will mean more accessible Bond-related merchandising, as well as ancillary multimedia projects.
Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of Bond, we older fans just need to accept that our time is passing and that a new opportunity is on the horizon for 007.
I hope that whoever at Amazon ends up with the responsibility for ushering our favorite secret agent into this new era, is aware of the legacy it carries and will respect that along with whatever future plans they may have.
Alan
Ian Fleming Foundation
I am honored to have joined the Board at the Ian Fleming Foundation and look forward to working with my fellow board members to continue and grow the Foundation's impact and importance as the legacy of Ian Fleming's work enters a new era.
The Ian Fleming Foundation is dedicated to the study and preservation of Ian Fleming’s creative works, including the James Bond novels, films, and associated merchandise and media. We embrace original research into the Bond phenomenon and its impact on popular culture. In addition to providing scholarships and endowments, we procure, restore, preserve, and archive materials related to Ian Fleming’s life and works, from personal papers and correspondence to props and vehicles from the James Bond films.
The Ian Fleming Foundation (IFF) is a public benefit nonprofit U.S. 501(c)3 corporation, and donations are tax-deductible for U.S. citizens and entities.
You can find out more about the IFF right HERE
Bond Briefing
A massive thank you to all our subscribers to date and to the folks who signed up following our return. It’s good to be back, and if you are reading this and haven’t joined our community yet, you can do so via the button below. It is FREE and you will then receive the newsletter in your email inbox the moment it's published.
Casino Royale Book Project
Things are also still moving along on the Casino Royale book. My article in the last James Bond Lexicon newsletter on the myths surrounding the 1954 TV adaptation of Casino Royale prompted some interesting discussions, along with offers from a couple of well-regarded Bond collectors to share some of the original documentation related to the show from their archives. On our recent trip to Texas, I also picked up a few books on various members of the CR 67 cast to add to the research stack.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting a lot of research notes written up, plus I made a good start on drafting the next two chapters that discuss the 1960s spy craze, and the stories behind how the Casino Royale project went from being a straight adaptation to “a high comedy incorporating gaudy sets and ‘60s psychedelia.” (to quote a Variety article from the time.)
Bond Chronology
An extract from our current in-progress background project. - A detailed chronology of the James Bond phenomenon from creation until today, one month at a time.
November 1953
10
James Bond’s birth date according to his passport as seen in the movie GoldenEye.
Bond Blatherings
Over the last few weeks at the On Her Majesty’s Secret Podcast network we’ve recorded an episode of Rogue Agents covering the second issue of the recent Dynamite Comics run Your Cold, Cold Heart, You can find the discussion HERE
We also recently recorded the latest Bond vs SpyMovie episode in which we compared Sean Connery's return in Diamonds Are Forever with the 1971 British spy outing Catch Me A Spy starring Kirk Douglas. I’ll post more on that once the episode goes live.
Bond Books
“The Bluffers Guide to Bond” by Mark Mason
A humorous irreverent overview of the worlds of 007 in print and film. It’s a quick read (took me just over an hour), but unfortunately, the bluffer out-bluffs himself as the text has several factual errors and repeats some common 007 myths.
Having said that Mason clearly believes his own maxim that “the books are better than the movies,” and if this slim volume encourages anyone to go beyond the movies and explore the source material, then that’s a good thing.
Bond for Sale
Looking for a few James Bond book ideas? - How about checking out our dedicated 007 on-line bookstore?
Of course, there is always our own James Bond Lexicon which you can order from Bookshop.org just by clicking HERE .
Want to know what else we are working on?
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See you next time
Alan J. Porter & Gillian J. Porter
The James Bond Lexicon (TM) newsletter is a production of Megrin Entertainment, a division of 4Js Group LLC
I, too, am cautiously optimistic. Because of their investment in the franchise and the high expectations Bond fans have for what comes next, they should be feeling pressure to not screw it up. 🤞
Many thanks, Alan. If anything happens I’ll let you know. I live in hope! Kind regards, Bob