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It's about the two people who "resigned"; the two people who BB has cited as the ones who will give EoN time and space to get the next itineration right; it's the optics and messaging and what that means-- it means that these two were part of the MGM alliance with EoN. And...
They are now gone.
My immediate question was, why them? Especially after BB has been vocal about their support, and she was also vocal, several times since the announcement of the acquisition, that James Bond films are made for cinemas and not for streaming. She has said no to spin offs and the like. She was leaning into the message that this is still "business as usual".
But with your two allies cut, and replaced with Amazon hires, it isn't business as usual for EoN.
And with these dismissals or "resignations", Amazon is sending back its own message: this is a new world, and things are going to change down the road.
This is a very interesting dynamic and with this latest news, it feels like the two parties are like water and oil...
It would be great drama if we could see the boardroom conversations moving forward.
EDIT: Barbara Broccoli is quite media shy historically, so when she makes statements, it's not off the cuff. It's to get a message out there. So with these "resignations" I can see her pushing back. Moving at her pace would be a start-- after all, Amazon can't make a Bond picture without her. They'd be forced to sit and stew and watch paint dry...
(Or my assumptions could be completely wrong, she has no issues with the dismissals, and she delivers a new Bond actor by October)
Fair but they could be replaced by Hollywood insiders for all we know. I don't think we have enough information for any real response aside from curiosity. They could have been let go for their tepid track record at MGM or, maybe, they resigned for (what they perceive) as greener pastures.
I say all that with the utmost respect for everything good you bring to this board and conversation.
But you’re right on especially this point: I do hope they get Hollywood talent to shepherd not just the Bond films, but all the MGM/Amazon films to come as well…
Yes, this is the crux of it.
(And just as a sidenote: The Washington Post isn't owned by Amazon, it's owned by Nash Holdings, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who is the biggest but no longer majority shareholder of Amazon and the exec Chairman of the Board. The important difference being there is not corporate connection between the two companies.)
After DeLuca and Abdy depart, their direct reports at MGM will report to Julie Rappaport, under Jen Salke’s oversight, on an interim basis until Mike Hopkins names a replacement and announces a new structure. That structure is expected to involve an expanded film effort for both MGM, including more wide theatrical releases, and Amazon.
I really think another factor for why Bond has been struggling in the US is it’s sporadic presence in streaming sites. They’re not as readily available for subscribers as the Marvel films are. We really should have seen a major push on streaming sites prior to the release of NTTD, especially the Craig films.
Edit: As it turns out, they are doing the exact same thing for the Pay-TV-Premiere of NTTD tomorrow. So I guess I know what I'll be doing all weekend ^^. I still would massively prefer it, if all the films had a regular subscription streaming home rather than appearing here for a month and then being unavailable for a year and then appearing somewhere else for 2 weeks...
Paramount+ had this problem with the Star Trek films, where they had to take them off their platform because they already had a deal with AMC channel to stream/air exclusively.
https://dailydot.com/debug/amazon-mgm-merger-ftc/?amp
It doesn’t have to be just that. There’s a slew of other reasons why a Bond 26 may take awhile, like trying to negotiate with potential distributors. Without an international distributor, there’s no film. Universal only made a one film deal, and that was because they were only interested in Craig coming back.
I don't either. The next one is quite a ways off, it would seem.
SP isn’t available. Also for some odd reason DN and SF are only available in HD, with the 4K versions only being available via rent or purchase.
I don't know anything about the practicalities of corporate and competition law, but these things usually take a long, long time, don't they? And given that the situation currently is that the companies are merged, there just is a possibility that that will be challenged in the future, I don't think Amazon will just let MGM lay fallow for all that time.
The more obvious reason - to me - for Bond #26 still being quite a ways away is the already discussed departure of Abdy and De Luca, which means they need to put in a whole new leadership structure at MGM. And I am still convinced Michael G Wilson will step down before the next project starts, so EON will have to figure out their leadership as well..
I'm probably one of the few people here not adverse to spin-offs. Regardless of Barbara's intentions, I think we can all agree that conversations have been going on behind the scenes at Amazon. Eon believe in the purity of the brand (there was an recent interview where Cary Fukunaga talked about how EON get loads of offers and were even once pitched a Lego 007 film). I broadly agree with Eon's approach. The Bond franchise is not well suited to a Marvel-style 'cinematic universe'.
Though part of me got excited when I heard about Barry Jenkins pitching a Moneypenny spin-off with Naomie Harris. That would have been something I really would have wanted to see. If Eon do get pitched a cool project with an interesting director, then they should make that film! For example, the recent Joker film with Todd Phillips was considered a risky spin-off which had a unique take. Just imagine if they enticed someone like Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino to direct a period-set Blofeld origin film? Something like Brady Corbet's Childhood of a Leader (but with Blofeld)! That would be terrific, espeically if they got Timothee Chalamet to play the young Blofeld 😍😍😍 You could make a seriously prestige film with such a package. I wouldn't even mind if they bought back Michelle Yeoh or Halle Berry for the long mooted Wai Lin or Jinx spin-off.
Universal will release Bond 26 (apparently part of the original deal for NTTD included 26) and WB takes over for 27 on.
So far by all accounts, MGM and Amazon Studios will be mostly separate entities. Some MGM films they don't feel will perform well theatrically may go over to the Amazon side with limited cinema releases followed by streaming (eg Thirteen Lives, Samaritan) and I presume vice versa anything Amazon feels might have traditional theatrical potential.
I’m surprised Universal is doing 26. I could have sworn I read reports that the deal they made with MGM/EON was strictly for NTTD?
Hypothetically if 5-6 years were to become the norm between films, then Warner Bros would've signed a deal that doesn't take effect until around the time of the franchise's 70th anniversary.
B26 in 2026
B27 in 2032.
Please don’t jinx it. But this may be a sign that EON are along further then we realize.