What actions will Amazon take regarding James Bond?

      Will James Bond be responsible for delivering next-day parcels? What should we expect from Amazon's version of 007?

      It wasn’t particularly surprising that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, after years of managing James Bond's film adventures, would eventually step aside. It also came as no shock that after Amazon's acquisition of MGM in 2021, which gave them co-ownership of the franchise’s streaming rights and followed the release of the last film, No Time To Die, Eon Pictures chose to hand the franchise's future entirely to Amazon.

      The reality is that Broccoli and Wilson had reached a creative standstill with Bond. Daniel Craig’s tenure ended somewhat underwhelmingly with the lackluster Spectre (now a decade old), followed by the hiring and dismissal of Danny Boyle, and the later engagement of Cary Fukunaga, along with a script overhaul by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which resulted in a solid yet chaotic conclusion for Craig.

      Speculation about who might be the next to take up the PPK was rife even before No Time To Die, dating back to the uncertainty surrounding Craig's return during Spectre. The fallout from Covid didn’t help matters, as audiences seemed to retreat from the franchise, with box office numbers plummeting from the staggering success of Skyfall (over a billion) to Spectre (around 800 million), and a comparatively lackluster reception for No Time To Die (though it grossed three-quarters of a billion).

      Can the character of James Bond, renowned for various traits and infamous for his blatant misogyny, be adapted for a Gen Z audience? This is a question that often irritates long-time fans. The phrase “go woke go broke” has been humorously thrown around by those who are angered by the notion. Yet, the last few years have shown that the criticisms about forced diversity initiatives that compromise storytelling and character development carry some validity.

      Those with right-leaning views and a Bond VHS collection tucked away somewhere might dread the idea of Bond being reimagined as a black, female, trans character, or even worse, becoming a liberal. While Amazon might not engage in the same level of desperate attempts to appeal to the widest audience possible as Disney or Netflix, they do have some history. Nevertheless, Amazon's leadership, despite how much sway they hold in their entertainment division, does have a Bond-like supervillain at the helm.

      In fact, Jeff Bezos even asked his followers on social media who should be the next Bond. Henry Cavill emerged as a popular choice, boasting a rugged look that could fit the character well. While some might argue he’s too old on paper, he certainly appears younger than Connery did at his debut or than Moore, Dalton, and perhaps even Brosnan looked. Men, it seems, generally tend to appear younger nowadays. In Connery’s time, he looked a decade older even at a relatively youthful 32. If a newcomer is too young, they might end up sporting a trendy poodle haircut favored by Gen Z, and that's a direction we should avoid.

      Is anyone genuinely concerned about a long tenure? Is there anything fundamentally wrong with a brief portrayal? What about a temporary engagement with the character, like Timothy Dalton’s? While I appreciate Cavill, it's worth noting that historically, Bond actors haven’t often emerged from such iconic roles. Cavill is known as Superman, a reputation that’s hard to step away from. In contrast, Roger Moore was closely associated with The Saint, but the divide between TV and movies at that time provided useful distance. Personally, I think Cavill would do well, but he isn't my top choice.

      At one time, suggesting Theo James for the role might have seemed ridiculous—perhaps too model-like or too strikingly handsome. However, his performance in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen turned out to be a strong audition. He displayed a suave, cool, intelligent persona, with a bit more ruggedness than in his previous roles. He would make a fantastic Bond, provided Amazon chooses to remain faithful to the character as he was presented in the books and films.

      It's possible we could see a Jane Bond, which would certainly infuriate many traditionalists. Personally, I enjoy watching fans get irate over franchises they feel possess some personal ownership, forgetting they can simply opt out of watching. Frankly, they could turn Bond into a cartoon unicorn for all I care. I wouldn’t watch it (well, maybe I would), but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

      Considering Amazon's inclination for producing content and their questionable track record with Original Movies, I’m not entirely optimistic they'll create something exceptional like Martin Campbell did when he revived the franchise twice. Will we have a marketing team full of executives poised to interfere? Might Bezos go so far as to cast himself or his friend Elon in the role? Bond cannot have a perfectly square head, although back to the future, we might begin