[Image: DeviantArt]
Fans of 007 are nervous after Amazon reportedly plan ‘drastic changes’ to their newly acquired $1 billion James Bond franchise.
The business deal leaves creative control of future James Bond productions in the hands of American-owned Amazon, and after Daniel Craig’s 007 death in No Time to Die, insiders say that Amazon is now left with “a headache” over the future of Bond.
According to some sources, Amazon has decided that the next film will be set in the 1950s and 1960s and feature the youngest-ever James Bond, with Amazon looking to cast an actor in their twenties.
The hunt for a new Bond to replace Craig has heated up in recent weeks, with rumours including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (34), Harris Dickinson (28) and James Norton (39). Taylor-Johnson, however, has since distanced himself from the claims.
In terms of producers, reports are that David Heyman (Harry Potter) and Amy Pascal (Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films) are in talks to develop the outing. This news follows shortly after reports emerged that production on the next James Bond film is underway after being “fast-tracked” for release.
The new film is expected to be in cinemas by the end of 2027, with a source stating: “The Bond bosses had already proposed broad plots and reboot ideas”.
“The writers’ rooms are being assembled in the hope of recouping their investment ASAP.”
Amazon’s acquisition of the Bond franchise is expected to lead to a series of spin-offs, but the source states the streaming giant “knows fans want and expect a movie” and “wants filming to be done by the end of next year”.
When the film finally arrives, it will tie the record for the longest wait for a new Bond film since Sean Connery first portrayed the iconic British spy in 1962’s Dr. No. The previous record was set by GoldenEye, which debuted in 1995, six years after Timothy Dalton’s last appearance in Licence to Kill.
If Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars is any indication, the Bond legacy may be in trouble, so brace yourself for a flood of watered-down Bond films, series, toys, and cartoons. Do the billionaires have to ruin everything?
[Source: Independent]
