10 Beloved Movie Legacies At Risk Of Being Ruined Forever
5. James Bond
Long-time 007 owners Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have stepped away from the franchise and (reluctantly) handed over the creative license to kill and the illustrious keys to the Aston Martin to Amazon for the foreseeable future.
When news of this first broke, panic and hysteria ensued, and rightly so, considering Amazon's turbulent track record. After all, the parting of ways didn't exactly play out nicely due to substantial creative differences between both parties, largely due to Amazon's wish for the franchise to explore potential spin-offs and commercialise the character of Bond himself.
However, things have begun to look up with the recent news that the one and only Denis Villeneuve would be directing Bond 26. Make no mistake, this is some coup for Amazon, considering Villeneuve's filmography and standing in the film community and industry.
Vileneuve's long-term partner and collaborator, Tanya Lapointe, has joined him as an executive producer, and this comes after Amy Pascal and David Heyman were already confirmed to be overseeing Bond 26 and its inevitable sequels for the studio. But when there is such a high, there is always a low to follow, and that came in the form of the potential names that topped the studio's wishlist to play Bond next.
This isn't to say that they're bad actors at all; in fact, quite the opposite. However, if that is where we're headed, then it feels like one step forward and two steps back for Amazon's James Bond at this moment in time. The Bond blueprint for success is there for all to see, so don't mess this up, Amazon.