“Growth” is the magic word in today’s business world, and this pursuit of more for shareholders’ sake is currently diminishing, if not outright killing, several long-cherished franchises. Just look at what’s happened to “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Disney insisted these properties spin off their films into myriad television series, thus ensuring the theaters and/or streamers will never be bereft of new branded content. “Skeleton Crew” just earned the lowest ratings in “Star Wars” history on Disney+, while the MCU has been experiencing creative and, save for a couple of exceptions, commercial paralysis since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”
In Disney’s meager defense, at least these franchises are stuffed to bursting with characters who could conceivably support a standalone movie or series. James Bond, on the other hand, exists in a small world of international espionage where the supporting characters are beloved because they’re so sparingly used. I’m thrilled EON allowed for Moneypenny, as portrayed by Naomie Harris, to get out of the office and strut her lethal stuff in the field, but I’ve never felt famished for more Moneypenny adventures. The same can be said of M, Q, Felix Leiter, and any of Bond’s other associates. For a long time, Bond was special because we only got a new 007 flick every few years. If Amazon MGM Studios wanted to return to that schedule, I would both welcome and understand this.
But it’s not going to stop there. We know from that Wall Street Journal story that it’s hellbent on creating some kind of James Bond Extended Universe, at which point, as this lifelong 51-year-old fan of the franchise can assure you, they are going to find out just how little people care about everyone in these stories who isn’t James Bond. EON Productions and MGM figured this out when they pulled the plug on Halle Berry’s Jinx spinoff after the tepidly received “Die Another Day,” and instead opted for the hard-for-007 reboot of “Casino Royale.”
When Amazon MGM Studios finally gets around to premiering its first James Bond movie, it’ll have already developed (and likely announced) spinoffs that will be algorithmically designed to appeal, in theory, to every demographic. There will be high fives all around the corporate offices as Amazon’s owner, the real-life Bond villain Jeff Bezos (a Trump-toadying billionaire who gets off on union busting), beams in from his Blue Origin spacecraft. Meanwhile, we’ll wearily trudge to theaters (provided it gets a theatrical release) and watch dutifully snapped-together content with no self-contained narrative — the kind that exists solely to keep us watching and watching and watching until we’re doing it out of glum habit instead of enjoyment.
That’s how blockbuster entertainment works in 2025. James Bond used to be an outlier in this regard, but as of today, James Bond as we knew him is dead. He will not return.