Following the news that Amazon has agreed to purchase MGM Studios for $8.45 billion, including the entire James Bond 007 franchise, Skyfall and Spectre co-writer John Logan has been voicing his concerns about what the deal might mean for the evergreen spy series.
In an essay written for The New York Times titled I Wrote James Bond Movies. The Amazon-MGM Deal Gives Me Chills, Logan warned that the deal could hurt the creative future of the franchise:
“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. Work sessions on Skyfall and Spectre were like hearty discussions around the dinner table, with Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael Wilson letting all the unruly children talk. Every crazy aunt or eccentric uncle was given a voice. We discussed and debated and came to a resolution, as families must, with no outside voices in the room. When you work on Bond movies, you’re not just an employee. You’re part of that family.”
He appears worried that this in-house, loving creative process might be sacrificed when it comes to the Amazon machine. He continued: “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?”
SEE ALSO: Is it time to retire James Bond?
Do you share his concerns about the Amazon deal? Let us know what you think by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Directed by Carey Fukunaga, No Time to Die sees the return of Daniel Craig (James Bond), alongside Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Rory Kinnear (Tanner), Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann), Ben Whishaw (Q), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) and Christoph Waltz (Blofeld), while new additions include Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), Billy Magnussen (Velvet Buzzsaw), Dali Benssalah (A Faithful Man) and David Dencik (Top of the Lake).
No Time to Die will be released September 30th in the UK and October 8th worldwide.
