Movies & TV / News

Skyfall Writer Concerned About How Amazon-MGM Deal Could Impact James Bond Franchise

June 2, 2021 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
No Time to Die James Bond, CinemaCon Image Credit: MGM

Amazon’s acquisition of MGM includes the James Bond franchise, and the writer of Skyfall has concerns about that. As reported last week, Amazon announced that it is acquiring MGM for $8.45 billion and that will include MGM’s 50% ownership stake of the 007 franchise. John Logan, who wrote Skyfall and Spectre, has penned an editorial for the New York Times titled, “I Wrote James Bond Movies. The Amazon-MGM Deal Gives Me Chills.”

The 007 franchise is 50% owned by Eon Productions, which is headed by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Logan discussed his experience working on the franchise and said that part of the reason 007 has endured is because of the Broccoli/Wilson family’s involvement.

“I know that Bond isn’t just another franchise, not a Marvel or a DC,” he wrote. “It is a family business that has been carefully nurtured and shepherded through the changing times by the Broccoli/Wilson family.” He went on to talk about how Broccoli and Wilson handled creative discussions as a sort of family dynamic. Logan said that despite their half ownership, he is concerned that Amazon could make demands about the creative around the character, noting that they have an “obsession with customer experience.”

“What happens to the comradeship and quality control if there’s an Amazonian overlord with analytics parsing every decision,” he asked. “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 noted that Amazon Prime Video is less about artists than attracting and retaining customers, noting, “When bigger companies start having a say in iconic characters or franchises, the companies tend to want more, not better, and the quality differential can vary wildly, project to project.”

Logan does not specify how Amazon’s status as an owner concerned about profit is different than current MGM parent company MGM Holdings, except to point out Amazon’s obsession with “content.” The next Bond film, No Time To Die, will not be affected by the acquisition plans and is set for release on October 8th, 2021.