Just two weeks have passed, yet the James Bond community is still in shock over the significant shake-up within the franchise. Longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who have been pivotal in shaping the 007 legacy for over thirty years, will no longer participate in the creative direction of the films.
This bombshell comes as part of a new agreement forged between Broccoli, Wilson, and Amazon MGM Studios, in which the studio will pay the duo an astonishing $1 billion to vacate their creative control roles. This decision raises questions about what led to this surprising buyout and why Broccoli would step away from a franchise she has tirelessly worked to revive and evolve.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the catalyst for this dramatic shift originated from the highest levels of Amazon. CEO Jeff Bezos was reportedly displeased with an in-depth article published by the Wall Street Journal last December that detailed the chilly dynamics between Broccoli and the studio’s executives. A particularly incendiary quote from Broccoli—where she allegedly referred to certain Amazon higher-ups as “f*****g idiots”—seemed to have triggered Bezos’s ire. An insider revealed that this quote motivated him to explore the possibility of fully buying out Broccoli.
The source recounted, “He read her quote in the Journal and immediately picked up the phone, stating, ‘I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her.’” Consequently, this new arrangement between the studio and the producers culminates in a staggering payout, building upon the initial $8.5 million deal made in 2022 when Amazon first acquired MGM.
