License to Stream – Amazon’s Takeover of James Bond’s Future
The death of James Bond isn’t the end—it’s Amazon’s golden ticket to reboot the world’s most famous spy. The only problem? Amazon now holds creative control, which means they’ll likely kill him all over again—this time, not with a missile, but with corporate meddling, algorithm-driven storytelling, and an overreliance on “cinematic universes.” Bond has survived countless villains, but can he survive Amazon’s content machine?
I’m not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea. Johnny Oleksinski, movie critic for the New York Post, thinks so too.
Diamonds are forever.
But entertainment franchises are deceptively fragile.
Look at Marvel and Star Wars, shimmering Hollywood jewels that were gobbled up by Disney in 2009 and 2012, respectively. They peaked and plummeted. And today, the once-invincible behemoths have become cultural nuisances thanks to greedy corporate oversaturation and shoddy products.
After Thursday’s awful news, James Bond is all but certain to follow in their path to oblivion.
In a shocking announcement, producers and half-siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the longtime stewards of 007, said that they have ceded creative control of the iconic entity to Amazon.
Mark my words, the company will mangle James Bond, a series I cherish, beyond recognition. New York Post
I hear you, Johnny, and sadly, I couldn’t agree more. Amazon is going to ruin Bond beyond recognition. If that’s the case, I’d rather leave him buried under the rubble from the missile strike on the island of Kalsoy, where at least he went out on his own terms.
And just in the nick of time, too. By the end of Daniel Craig’s run, his take on Bond was starting to wear thin—especially with the shift toward more “feminist” themes that felt out of place for the character. While it was interesting to see Bond evolve, some of those changes started to feel forced, like they were pushing an agenda more than staying true to the essence of 007. As much as I appreciate a modern take, there’s something about Bond’s old-school swagger that’s hard to beat.
Not Great News
This is far from great news for Bond—or for Bond fans like myself. As a longtime admirer of the franchise, I’ve written about 007 before, and recently, The Gent and I embarked on a mission of our own: watching every Bond film in order. It was a glorious, martini-fueled journey through the highs, the lows, and the sheer spectacle that makes Bond an enduring icon. If you haven’t done it yet, I highly recommend it—it’s the perfect way to appreciate the evolution of the character before Amazon inevitably turns him into yet another soulless content vehicle.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos took to his X account to ask his followers who they think should be the next James Bond. Big mistake. Don’t involve the internet in this decision—people are fickle, and they’re already flooding the poll with votes for Henry Cavill.
Who’d you pick as the next Bond? pic.twitter.com/u7nBaRROlf
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 20, 2025
Good shaken martini! Tell me this isn’t how Amazon will cast the next Bond.
Look, Henry Cavill might be a great guy, but as Bond? No, just no. I don’t see it. He’s got the look, sure, but he lacks that certain something that defines Bond—charm, wit, and an edge that Cavill, with all due respect, just doesn’t bring to the table. Let’s leave this one to the experts, shall we? Besides, I can’t unsee him as Superman.
Beginning of the End with Amazon
At the end of the day, Amazon taking over James Bond feels like the beginning of the end for the franchise. The worry is that, instead of honoring what made Bond great, they’ll turn him into just another piece of their endless content machine—overproduced, watered down, and stripped of everything that made him iconic. Sure, we’ll probably get more spinoffs and sequels, but at what cost? If they ruin 007 the way they’ve done with other franchises, I’ll be sitting here wishing for the good old days when Bond actually felt… well, like Bond.
At least I’ll always have the old movies to fall back on. Those classic Bond films—whether it’s Sean Connery’s suave, no-nonsense approach or Roger Moore’s charmingly cheeky style—are timeless. I can rewatch them over and over, knowing that the essence of what made 007 legendary is preserved. No matter how much Amazon messes with the franchise in the future, the original Bond will always be there, a reminder of when the character was truly untouchable. And honestly, sometimes a marathon of the old films is all I need to remind myself what Bond was really about.
I’ve never read any of the Bond books, but maybe it’s time to give them a shot. There’s something about going back to the source material that feels like a deeper dive into the world of 007. I’ve always loved the movies, but I hear Fleming’s novels bring a different kind of edge to Bond—grittier, more intense, with layers that the films sometimes gloss over. Who knows? It could be the perfect way to keep the Bond magic alive when the latest iterations just don’t cut it.
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