With the ink barely dry on a bombshell deal that hands Amazon MGM Studios creative control over James Bond, Jeff Bezos is already canvassing fans about who should play 007.
The Amazon founder posted a screenshot of a BBC News story, headlined ‘James Bond‘s long-serving producers give control to Amazon,’ and asked his followers on Instagram: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?”
In doing so, he signaled a dramatic new era for the iconic spy franchise, which has been under the control of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for decades. Amazon MGM Studios has a new joint venture with the duo, under which they will retain a level of ownership over the franchise, but Jennifer Salke will now ultimately be calling the shots on the next movie.
After Daniel Craig exited James Bond after No Time to Die in 2021, there has been wild speculation over who will step into the shoes of Ian Fleming’s MI6 agent. Wilson and Broccoli have traditionally done little to shoot down this chatter. As EON Productions sources have sagely pointed out to Deadline in the past, if Broccoli spent her days reacting to reports about who is replacing Craig, she would have time for little else.
There was a frenzy of speculation last March about Aaron Taylor-Johnson becoming Bond, with The Sun newspaper reporting that the Kick-Ass actor has been “formally offered the job” and “is going to sign his contract in the coming days.” This did not come to pass.
Other actors featured in the 007 speculation cycle include Happy Valley star James Norton and Snowfall’s Damson Idris. British bookies currently have Norton as favorite, with Taylor-Johnson second. Other names in the frame include Theo James and Josh O’Connor. Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Henry Cavill have also been heavily linked.
It is not clear when we will get an answer to Bezos’ question. Amazon MGM Studios insiders said no decisions have been made on future Bond films, including who will star, direct, and write the next feature. It means another installment is likely years away.
