Amazon, which fully controls the James Bond franchise, has put an end to the future of the iconic spy.
The corporation bought out the shares of producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson so there were many rumors around the franchise. The Internet discussed the possibility of casting a woman in the lead role or changing the nationality of the spy.
Back in 2018, Barbara Broccoli said that Bond «would not become a woman», but hinted that it could change with the times. Now, after the sale of the franchise, Amazon has set all its priorities. And it turns out that Jeff Bezos, a well-known fan of classic Bond films, decided to preserve the legacy of the series.
According to an internal Amazon document that was leaked to the press, all rumors about a «updated», «progressive», or even a «female» Bond have been denied. Actually, for fans of the classic image of the agent — this news is a real gift.
«There have been so many erroneous rumours about the future of Bond. Amazon is committed to keeping the spirit of Bond alive and that means he has to be British or from the Commonwealth — and he has to be male», — a source close to the company was quoted as saying.
Insiders say that it was Bezos who could have initiated the distribution of this internal document. It appears that his long-standing commitment to the franchise makes him not want to make the drastic changes that many projects have experienced, such as «The Lord of the Rings». Bezos wanted to reassure the MGM and EON Productions team that some things would remain intact.
«Jeff is a massive Bond fan and while he’s excited to see how Amazon can take the franchise forward there are certain things which are sacrosanct. That’s why the memo went out this week, to reassure everyone» — the source said.
Therefore, the key features of the spy will remain the same: he will not become a woman and will not cease to be British. Therefore, we can safely cross out the options of hypothetical «Jane Bond» or «Javier Bond» from Latin America.
So far, nothing is formally known about the next Bond actor. Spread rumors that it could be Henry Cavill, which is just left the lead role in the series «Witcher», but he denied his role as 007. But casting could start anytime this year. Amazon has also thought about series or movies about minor characters like Q, Miss Moneypenny, or M, but it’s still all at the level of ideas.
Despite the preservation of the classic image of the spy —, many producers are abandoning this franchise. Christopher Nolan was considered one of the main candidates to direct the film but refused because of the terrible treatment. Like the Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón said, it would be better to «just watch» Bond.
Source: World of Reel
