James Bond writer has concerns Amazon’s MGM deal could dilute the franchise

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

When Amazon made their acquisition of MGM official, one of the main concerns was that it would somehow interfere with the theatrical release of the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die. Some industry insiders wondered if the deal would send the film directly to streaming but, even as the deal closed, the narrative consistently shifted back to the fact that the film will see a theatrical release on October 8, 2021. While this detail has been ironed out, John Logan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter whose credits include working on the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, seems worried about the future of the franchise in the wake of the Amazon acquisition of MGM.

Logan wrote an opinion piece for "The New York Times" regarding the issue and he admitted when he heard the news about the deal "a chill went through me." Logan went on to say that, unlike other franchises, the James Bond films have been carefully watched over and that it's a family business, which makes it unique when compared to the films cranked out by Marvel or DC.

"Having worked as a writer on Skyfall and Spectre, I know that Bond isn't just another franchise, not a Marvel or a DC; it is a family business that has been carefully nurtured and shepherded through the changing times by the Broccoli/Wilson family."

Even though Broccoli and Wilson own 50% of the Bond franchise and are assured of ongoing artistic control, Logan thinks that this could be disrupted in the future under the new deal. Logan goes on to say "What happens if a bruising corporation like Amazon begins to demand a voice in the process? What happens to the comradeship and quality control if there's an Amazonian overlord with analytics parsing every decision? What happens when a focus group reports they don't like Bond drinking martinis? Or killing quite so many people? And that English accent's a bit alienating, so could we have more Americans in the story for marketability?" Logan seems to believe that even if Amazon says they won't interfere in the creative direction of the Bond franchise, they may try to make gradual changes before making grand sweeps to shift things to their liking.

Logan also has concerns that a corporation like Amazon could run the risk of diluting the overall quality of the franchise by getting involved artistically. Logan says "Everything gets watered down to the most anodyne and easily consumable version of itself. The movie becomes an inoffensive shadow of a thing, not the thing itself. There are no more rough edges or flights of cinematic madness."

For their part, Amazon hasn't made any announcements about big changes coming for the Bond franchise and with this opinion piece out there, I doubt they will, if ever, at this time. I would like to believe that Amazon is of the mind of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and they'll let the world of Bond continue under the guidance of Broccoli and the Wilson family. At one point Logan says "Please let 007 drink his martinis in peace. Don't shake him, don't stir him." Let's hope Amazon hears those words.

Do YOU think the Bond franchise could suffer artistically after the Amazon acquisition of MGM?