That was fast. Weeks after Amazon MGM Studios struck a deal to buy out Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson’s creative power over the James Bond franchise, veteran producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are in talks to steer the new direction of the series, TheWrap has learned.
Pascal and Heyman are no strangers to franchises — Pascal is a primary creative producer on the recent spate of “Spider-Man” live-action and animated films and Heyman shepherded the entirety of the “Harry Potter” franchise and its “Fantastic Beasts” expansion at Warner Bros.
Amazon MGM had no comment.
The studio is expected to likely focus first on making a new Bond film before finalizing any franchise expansion or spin-off plans. When and if that moment comes, Pascal and Heyman are two producers who know how to handle franchise expansion better than most.
It has been four years since the Bond franchise’s last film, “No Time to Die,” which served as a farewell to Daniel Craig’s lauded era as the character. In 2022, Amazon acquired full distribution rights to the franchise when it purchased MGM. In the months and years afterward, many questions and rumors emerged about the series’ future and Amazon’s hopes for it.
Some of those questions were answered when Broccoli and Wilson officially ceded creative control of Bond in February — a move that was followed by Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos asking his Instagram followers for ideas about who should play 007 next. If Pascal and Heyman do reach an agreement with Amazon to spearhead its new Bond era, that will offer further clarity about who is holding the reigns of the franchise moving forward.
Questions, however, will still remain. Appointing new producers to specifically run its 007 division is just the first step Amazon needs to take to actually bring Bond back to the big screen again. Writers will need to be hired to pen the MI6 agent’s next adventure, as will a director to helm it. Of course, an actor will also need to be cast to follow in Craig and his fellow, past Bond performers’ shoes.
For now, though, Amazon’s Bond plans may be finally coming into focus.
Puck first reported the news.
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