A Very Rational, Very English Reaction To The James Bond Amazon News

I need to preface this article by saying that this situation sucks Thunderballs. Shocking as it may seem, Amazon now has full creative control over James Bond, and this 63-year-old franchise will never be the same. I also want to mention that, as a native of the British Isles to which Bond has frequently reported ("for England, James"), I'm feeling pretty heartbroken. I'm English. I bleed properly brewed tea, I constantly complain about how gray it is, and I've grown up with James Bond being a staple since childhood. Any Christmas, Bank Holiday, or Sunday, you could guarantee seeing James Bond somewhere on television, aiming his gun at the screen as blood trickled down. This character has been an institution since 1962 — and as much as it pains me to say it, he might not be in the best hands going forward, but he could be in the next best ones after the Broccolis.

Look, vent if you want to. Be mad at the idea that instead of letting this thing live and let it die, spin-offs, prequels, and remakes of classic Bond missions are definitely going to show up on Amazon's to-do list in the coming years. I'm totally with you. But other franchises have changed owners and ended up better for it, and last time I checked, we haven't figured out how to see into the future yet. In fact, the only thing we can see is that (as much as I dislike admitting it) Amazon's management of other literary heroes shows that they could do some amazing work with Bond if they really wanted to.

There's no telling what Amazon will do with 007. The likelihood of him appearing next on either television or the big screen is anyone's guess. Admittedly, the thought might leave fans not so much shaken or stirred, but seething at the idea of watering down such a special character. Well, stew all you like over the prospect, but keep in mind that there's solid evidence from Amazon's recent work that they could actually handle the property and create some great work with it in the process.

Just this week, Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) returned for his third season to incredible reviews, including our own. He landed back on the streaming service with three episodes (honestly, binge all three immediately), bringing with him an almost Bond-like mission as the hulking hero went undercover and showcased impressive spy skills simultaneously. Additionally, just hours before the show's return, John Krasinski confirmed via Instagram that filming for his feature-length "Jack Ryan" movie had begun, following three successful seasons that also aired on the streaming service.

Like it or not, Amazon doesn't need to prove they can handle Bond; they've already done so by successfully adapting two lone heroes who play by their own rules, confront sadistic villains, and often take down heartless, terrifying henchmen, all while winning over the girl and walking away from explosions. We can't say they don't know Jack about adapting popular heroes when they've already got two in the bag. The obvious concern is that when they unleash an all-new 007, how much they'll Marvelize His Majesty's greatest super spy and the speed at which they'll do it.

As far back as 2021, the Broccolis assured fans that a James Bond series wasn't going to happen and that they were only making 007 adventures for cinema. However, now that they're not in charge, it's a safe bet at the baccarat table that we're going to get them. Not necessarily Bond in weekly televised doses, perhaps, but we'll almost certainly see stories centered on the characters around him. Imagine other double-O's on missions that run alongside Bond's big one, or the early days of M's career before they found themselves behind a desk. We could even have the backstory of how Ian Fleming first came to create his globe-trotting spy that changed literature and cinema forever. At this point, it's not a question of when spin-offs will occur, but how many and what form they'll take. The only real concern is that they don't churn them out at a volume that would make you think MI6's greatest spy looks like he's part of the MCU.

Please, Amazon, don't give us an animated short series about Blofeld's cat or a comedy series about Q making his way up the ranks. This is James Bond, whose name rings out with a significance in popular culture as much as Darth Vader, or Harry flippin' Potter. Take the bloody shot and give us firstly a brand new Bond that earns a warm welcome. Then and only then can Amazon dare to do the inevitable and blow up the franchise to a level that every fan of 007 feared would happen. For now, we might very well be under the impression that nobody does it better than the Broccolis, but if Amazon manages to maintain quality control as it expands this character's universe, there's a chance we may eventually come to accept that the company has the ability to do it better, after all.