James Bond is going in a new direction.
The historic film franchise based on the Ian Fleming novels will be stepping into uncharted waters following Amazon's purchase of the book's rights. After months of back and forth between Amazon directives and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the owners of the franchise, the pair have announced they would be stepping back creatively from the franchise. It's all up to Amazon now.
While this means we'll be getting a James Bond film sooner rather than later, it would make it the first film in the franchise that has no creative input from the Broccoli family.
"With the conclusion of 'No Time to Die' and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects,’" said Broccoli in a statement.
The news have stirred up a lot of feelings, especially for people in the UK, who consider Bond a cultural heirloom of sorts.
"I nearly dropped me coffee, and I thought, Amazon Prime spinoff TV series?" said a British fan to NPR.
"They're probably going to turn it into another 'Bourne Identity'-type thing and use it to boost American patriotism."
Why did Broccoli step down?
Barbara Broccoli is the heir of Cubby Broccoli, the film producer who was responsible for the first film adaptation of James Bond, "Dr. No," starring Sean Connery. Broccoli and her half-brother, Wilson, had been in creative control of the franchise since 1995.
According to a report published in The Wall Street Journal late last year, there was some tension between Amazon and Broccoli, with both having completely different approaches to the character of Bond.
“These people are f— idiots," Broccoli reportedly said of Amazon executives, according to the report.
As for the future of the franchise, a new Bond has yet to be announced, even though there's been much debate over who will take on the mantle. Many experts predict that Amazon may turn the IP into an extended universe of stories, in the same vein as "Star Wars" or Marvel.