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There is a new figure threatening James Bond, but unfortunately, he will not be as easy to beat as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, because Amazon MGM Studios, under Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, now owns the rights to Ian Fleming’s James Bond—and fans are split.
Chief among their concerns is that Amazon will milk the franchise dry, diluting its legacy with poorly received spin-offs as many believe it did when it bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings, or as Disney has been accused of doing with Star Wars.
However, if Amazon can resist the urge to tinker, it could be the boost that the franchise needs. Let’s consider how it could avoid another Rings of Power and what exactly a storied franchise like Bond requires.
Amazon franchise forays
First, how has Amazon handled its other big franchises? The title that keeps coming up in online discussions is Rings of Power, Amazon’s big-budget foray into the world of Tolkien. There was understandable concern before it aired from die-hard fans worried that Amazon would struggle to adapt their favorite stories. The company has done little to assuage these concerns. Both seasons of the show were poorly received by fans and had little to no impact after airing.
But other franchises have been more successful. Fallout had a big existing fan base when Amazon bought the rights. There were concerns around this series, too, but upon launch, it received acclaim from critics and most fans. The same can be said for The Boys and Reacher, though both had less fervent fanbases to begin with.
This tells us that Amazon can do it right; it all depends on the creatives in control behind the scenes and their handling of the material.
Nobody does it better?
James Bond is not like other franchises. It has been a family business since its inception in 1961, overseen first by Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and then by Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother, Michael G. Wilson. This control ensured quality and stability over six decades, turning James Bond into an icon and the fifth highest-grossing movie series of all time. Aside from the odd misstep (such as Diamonds Are Forever), the series has remained consistent, releasing 25 films over the past 63 years.
However, under the tenure of the junior Broccoli and Wilson, there was a determination to avoid oversaturating the franchise. During this time, James Bond did not have spin-offs, there was very little in the way of merchandise, and the series has vanished from the video game market in recent years. The pair worked to ensure that a Bond film was an event to celebrate, a welcome change in the era of sprawling cinematic universes.