The family that controls the James Bond movie franchise reportedly refuses to give Amazon the go-ahead to make another film due to serious disagreements over the direction of the series -- including one proposal for a TV spinoff centered on a female 007.
Barbara Broccoli -- the 64-year-old daughter of the late Queens native Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, the film producer who acquired the rights to the famed spy created by British novelist Ian Fleming -- has been at odds with Amazon execs ever since the e-retail giant acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio for $8.5 billion in March 2022, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Her dissatisfaction with Amazon has reached the point where she is willing to hold the film "hostage" and delay the release of a new Bond sequel, the Journal reported.
There hasn't been a Bond film in three years, one of the longest spans since the franchise was launched with "Dr. No" in 1962.
Broccoli maintains a tight grip on 007, approving everything from scripts to who will be the next Bond after Daniel Craig hung up the famed tuxedo in the last film, "No Time to Die."
Amazon executives proposed a number of ideas including a James Bond TV series for its Prime Video service as well as a spinoff featuring Miss Moneypenny, the secretary of MI6 spy chief M.
There was even talk amongst Amazon executives about a Bond spinoff series that would be centered around a female 007.
But Broccoli shot the idea down, according to the Journal. While she would not be opposed to having a gay or nonwhite actor play Bond, Broccoli is insistent that the character be a Brit and a man.
"These people are f-king idiots," Broccoli reportedly told friends when describing executives at Amazon.
Broccoli runs Eon Productions, the London-based shop that produces the Bond films, alongside her 82-year-old stepbrother Michael Wilson.
According to the Journal, Broccoli isn't on board with Amazon's ideas on how to capitalize on the popularity of the Bond character.
Before the MGM deal, Amazon committed to releasing Bond in movie theaters rather than on its Prime Video streaming service -- a key demand from Broccoli and Wilson, according to the Journal.
Broccoli and Wilson also insisted that they retain control over all key matters related to future Bond projects, including the makeup of the cast, the script and the plot.
The relationship between the Broccoli family and Amazon is a clash of two worlds -- one rooted in old-school, 20th century film-making "from the gut" while the other is steeped in tech-centric reliance on algorithms and streaming statistics, according to the Journal.
Broccoli and Wilson are also said to be upset that they have had a difficult time landing a meeting with senior Amazon executives -- a far cry from the days when MGM head honchos were readily accessible to them, according to the Journal.
Broccoli is reported to have a tense relationship with Jennifer Salke, a former NBCUniversal executive who was brought in to run Amazon Studios in 2018.
According to the Journal, Broccoli was irked when Salke referred to the James Bond series as "content" that the company wanted to offer the public.
A friend of Broccoli told the Journal that using a sterile term such as "content" was like a "death knell" to her since she views Bond as a sacred family heirloom.
Broccoli is so hands-on with Bond films that she oversees all of the stunts and explosions as well as making sure that certain cardinal rules are followed, such as Bond rarely shooting first, according to the Journal.
Mike Hopkins, who heads the Prime Video business, has reportedly told associates he is confident he can win Broccoli's trust.
Since Amazon bought MGM, the company has produced just one Bond-related product -- a reality television show titled "007: Road to a Million" where teams compete in spy-themed challenges.
The show has prompted discussion within Amazon about Bond and its place in modern society.
A male spy who uses violence to achieve his aims while being a womanizer is apparently too much for some Amazon employees, one of which is reported to have said during a strategy meeting: "I have to be honest. I don't think James Bond is a hero."
