It’s been a couple of days since the shocking news of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson handing the creative control of James Bond to Amazon MGM Studios.
With my emotional response dying down, I want to look forward to what happens next and how I would go about it in the boardrooms of Culver Studios.
Studio Head
The first thing the tech company will need to do is find someone to run the property because this will be too big of a job for Jennifer Salk (Amazon MGM Studios Head) to give it her entire focus.
The main objective would be to hire someone with experience handling major franchises or tentpole movies that, most importantly, makes them money.
Amazon could easily promote within and move Courtenay Valenti from her Head of Film role to lead this new joint venture by the studio and Eon Productions.
As a 30-year veteran, Valenti would be a safe pair of hands and was with Warner Bros during their successful period in the mid-2010 and early 2020. Having been part of the company since 2023 would save them money.
Additionally, this appointment would probably make the Broccoli’s happy.
However, I have some concerns as the films under her tenure haven’t been the best. Red One was the most recent flop and lost them a considerable amount of money. Eyes will be on A Working Man, G20, and the sequels to A Simple Favour and The Accountant.
The other route is to hire someone, and I can only think of one name: David Heyman (I’m sure there are others).
Ever since Jeff Snider mentioned Heyman on his Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha, I think it’s perfect.
The British exec produced the second biggest British franchise in Harry Potter, and he’s also brought us the beloved Paddington and its even better sequel. He also produced Barbie and Wonka, which were mega successful for WB.
The issue is the 63-year-old is monumentally busy with a long list of projects in development and pre-production, and that’s not including if he’s involved in the HBO Harry Potter series.
Heyman would be perfect because he has produced successful must-see family movies. The biggest issue is that James Bond needs to bring in a new generation of fans to enjoy these films, and the London lad has a good eye and feel for these things.
Also, though it shouldn’t matter, having a Brit in charge of the country’s cinematic crown jewels would probably make many fans feel more at ease.
For those reasons, Amazon back down the truck with the amount of cash it would take for the producer to leave his production company.
The structure of the role would be similar to James Gunn and Peter Safan at WB with DC Studios or Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios, bypassing Valenti and Salke and speaking directly to Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Furthermore, under his stewardship, all Bond productions are predominantly comprised of a UK crew. Any on-site filming is done at Pinewood on the 007 Stage and around. Also, there are internships and traineeships to help get future generations a foot in the door and have a career in the industry.
Creative
With Heyman on board, it’s time to look at building the creative.
While I wouldn’t go with a full writers’ room brain trust, I would bring in someone with an excellent reputation for working on the character and understanding of productions, working alongside the producer to help with early development and work with the writer(s) during the script-writing stage.
Don’t worry, it isn’t Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Instead, I’d bring in Anthony Horowitz.
His James Bond novels have been widely praised and are the closest to Ian Fleming’s work, maybe because his trilogy is set within Fleming’s original timeline.
The biggest thing would be to make these solo adventures again and move away from the interconnected storytelling. Once these bare bones have formed, this is where the fun can begin.
People will say, “Go for Christopher Nolan and make a real statement.” However, I would find that a kinda boring and overly safe choice with the film having exactly the same tone and style as the Daniel Craig era, and this is coming from someone who loves Nolan’s movies and would like to see him put his stamp on 007, but now isn’t the time.
If we’re looking to bringing in families, the series needs to lean towards a Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan style where we have all the action and sexiness of Bond, but it’s fun and crowd-pleasing.
Tom Cruise has done a brilliant job doing this with Christopher McQuarrie and Joseph Kosinski for the Mission Impossible films and Top Gun: Maverick.
This is why for his first 007 adventure, Heyman should re-team with a director and writer duo that brought critical and financial success to Paddington and Wonka and bring in Paul King to helm Bond 26 from a Simon Farnaby script.
The reason for choosing these two is because they’ll make a movie that would interest families and bring in a new generation. It will have plenty of heart and humour and bring escapism to audiences whilst still having action and sex appeal.
Farnaby won’t be the only one writing the screenplay because I can see Amazon wanting Phoebe Waller-Bridge to co-write alongside the Horrible Histories star.
Including Waller-Bridge would be a smart move because she also brought energy and dialogue to the No Time To Die script, especially the best section of the film – the Cuba scene.
The biggest issue will be getting King and Farnaby out of their commitment to working on the Prince Charming movie at Disney, and it could be done. The film is reportedly in the script-writing phase, so Amazon would still be able to offer them a better package and the fact it’s Bond should convince them to tell the House of Mouse to say, “sorry, we owe you one.”
The title of the film would be For King And Country.
Casting
Finding The New 007
With a brilliant creative team behind Bond 26, the next fun stage is finding the new James Bond for this new era.
It’s the biggest casting question in movie commentary/punditry, along with who will replace Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the MCU or who will be Batman.
Since the news of Amazon gaining creative control, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos did a PR stunt posting on Twitter asking who should be the new 007, and the biggest response was Henry Cavill.
I couldn’t think of a more bland, safe choice to become the titular character, and it’s always the same thing of “cast Cavill and set it in the 60s”, and while I’d still see it, it wouldn’t be exciting.
I’d stick to the 30-35 age range for casting and have four potential men I’d do the ‘From Russia With Love’ audition scene to follow in the footsteps of Craig, Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Moore, George Lazenby and Sean Connery. They are:
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Aaron Pierre
- Callum Turner
- Harris Dickinson
Dickinson and Pierre are the hottest names on this list, but neither would get the role for different reasons. Despite showcasing his sex appeal in Babygirl and having done spy action with The King’s Man, Harris is still too young at 28 years old and a bit of a babyface for the role and will most likely be too busy filming Sam Mendes’ Beatles movies.
Meanwhile, being cast as John Stewart in the Lanterns series and being the Green Lantern in the DCU, Aaron would not have the time to balance two massive roles. It’s a shame because he would’ve been perfect, not only for his fantastic performance in Rebel Ridge, but because of the Mufasa star’s piercing eyes and deep, seductive voice.
This leaves us with Turner and Taylor-Johnson.
In Turner’s case, he’s marrying Dua Lipa, who is a real-life Bond girl. As for his acting, he showcased what he can do in Masters of Air, and all The Fantastic Beasts actor would have to do is go to the gym as he’s on the right side of fame that he’s known, but not too well known.
As for Taylor-Johnson, he’s been my top choice ever since Bullet Train (his Bond audition). At 34 years old, Aaron’s the ideal age to be the double-0 agent and has shown repeatedly that stunts and action scenes are no issue.
Moreover, the Kick-Ass star has proven to have a great sense of humour and dramatic moments. These elements would put in great stead for the new era of Bond. ATJ would be similar to Brosnan in that he’d be smooth and charming whilst able to turn into a killer quickly.
Another reason is the reaction to The Sun report in March last year from the female demographic on social media and how much they loved it from millennial women and slightly younger using Ultraviolet from the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.
I didn’t understand how popular this movie was with them. The Wycombe gent has pure sex appeal, having seen edits of his Calvin Klein campaign to Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana, and the man looks terrific in and out of a tux.
I fully understand this didn’t help with Kraven’s box office, but no one cared about that film, and you can’t compare it to the global brand of 007.
For these reasons, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is James Bond.
Villain
Now that we have our 007, it’s time to focus on his antagonist.
I’m going to continue with how the villain has been cast in the previous three films and look at getting an Oscar winner as the big bad.
After his awe-inspiring performance in Oppenheimer, bringing in Cillian Murphy is the only choice and he would be terrific.
Not only for his role in the Christopher Nolan Oscar winner, but he has a great knack for playing villains similar to Dr Jonathan Craine in The Dark Knight trilogy.
Instead of being creepy, the Irishman plays someone incredibly charismatic that audiences can get behind, like he was in Peaky Blinders, but wanting Bond to get his man in the end.
For the marketing, because the role would be political, I’d have a similar campaign to The Dark Knight. Murphy’s character delivers different speeches on different platforms, from social media to YouTube ads and traditional TV, in much the same way as a Party Political Broadcast.
Just go a little further, make similar “I believe in Harvey Dent” posters and place them everywhere in newspapers and magazines, on the side of buses and train platforms.
MI6 Gang
Unlike the Craig era, we are introducing all the supporting characters in Bond’s world from the start like it was before, and it would be a new cast; they are:
- David Oyelowo – M
- Bill Nighy – Q
- Eleanor Tomlinson – Miss Moneypenny
I’ve loved the idea of Oyelowo as M for a while now. He’s a fantastic actor who can work in any genre, and he is a Shakespearean actor like Dame Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes before him. I believe to have the acting level of the previous two heads of MI6.
My idea of this new M would be for The Lawmen: Bass Reeves star to have the political mind to protect his 00 agents like Dench and Bernard Lee and be an admiral in his own right; he’ll know how to handle himself.
Alternative M – Benedict Wong, Gary Oldman.
Not only is Tomlinson a great actress and known for her performances in Poldark, The Outlaws and The Couple Next Door, but she would be lovely as Moneypenny.
Her role in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging would excite millennial women as they’ll see the reunion of Jas and Robbie.
Moreover, it would follow the template started in Dr. No as both Lois Maxwell and Sean Connery were 32, while Taylor-Johnson and Tomlinson would roughly be a similar age when cameras start rolling.
This closeness of age will help with the character’s flirtatious relationship, something we haven’t seen since the shaving scene in Skyfall between Harris and Craig and before that, we have to go back to Die Another Day.
Furthermore, this would mean a modern Moneypenny who’s excellent at her job as M’s right-hand woman, both as a personal assistant and bodyguard. Having been a former army corporal in her own right, she would have a chance to showcase her skills (alongside Oyelowo) in an action scene similar to Ana de Armas’ Paloma in No Time To Die.
Alternative Miss Moneypenny – Erin Doherty, Jessica Henwick.
Then we come to the national treasure of British acting. Getting Nighy as Quartermaster would be a terrific move. Similar to Desmond Llewelyn’s relationship with Moore, Dalton and Brosnan, I can see him bouncing off Johnson rather well and would be a more stylish and incredibly charming Q. Whilst also being fun with the return of gadgets as a way to throwback to the classic films and bring younger fans on board.
Alternative Q – Matt Berry, Emma Thompson, Olivia Coleman, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Frost.
As a surprise in the film, M has a Chief of Staff, which has a slight change. Instead of Bill Tanner, we have Billie Tanner, played by Karen Gillian. Because it’s something different, and the Guardian of the Galaxy star would look great in a suit.
Henchmen
One of the major elements from the Craig era was the lack of henchmen in his run, besides Dave Batista in Spectre and No Time To Die had Dali Benssalah. Having someone who is another obstacle for our 007 would be good.
Those joining Murphy are:
- Michael Fassbender
- Jack O’Connell
- Niamh Algar
Fassbender would be a Red Grant/Alec Trevelyan type in that he’s Bond’s equal in everyway and works for MI6. However, it’s revealed he’s a double agent after losing out on joining the Double-0 to Bond and feeling betrayed by the organisation.
Meanwhile, I would love for O’Connell to join. He’s one of my favourite actors working, and love him in SAS: Rogue Heroes and would bring something different to the role to bounce off others.
If Cillian is the charismatic leader, Michael is the muscle, I want Jack to be the fear.
I want him to be a twisted bastard who brings the right amount of fear that when Bond kills him, everyone cheers.
Finally, Algar would be the femme fatale in a similar way to Rosamond Pike’s Miranda Frost. A wonderful actress who’s shining on TV with Calprits, Malpractice, Mary & George and Playing Nice.
Bond Girl
The last ingredient to a James Bond movie is the Bond girl — someone who can be his equal or a damsel in distress who gets caught up in his story.
You would make a very strong 20-woman list of who could be a Bond girl.
I’m going with an actress on the cusp of becoming a top Hollywood actress, having shown excellent performances in Normal People and Twisters, and that’s Daisy Edgar-Jones.
She would be well suited to the role of Bond’s equal, like Wai Lin, who embeds herself in Murphy’s villainous plan. The actress would also help bring in a younger audience, but would need to get some reps in the gym like Alicia Vikander did playing Lara Croft and Armas in No Time To Die.
Music
To handle the score, I’d look for a safe pair of hands that bring that classic musical feel to a Bond movie and there’s only one composer for the job, David Arnold.
As for the song, we need something upbeat to excite audiences, such as Carly Simons, Shirley Bassey, Chris Cornell, Gladys Knight, Duran Duran, etc. Since Adele, they were more interested in getting the Best Song Oscar.
Music is so subjective that it’ll be hard to please everyone until the theme comes out, but I’m going with Foo Fighters or Dua Lipa.
Lipa is one of the biggest artists in the world, and it would be a smart marketing move as she would deliver a banging pop song or can lean into a ballad. Also, the ‘Levitating’ singer would get the Madonna treatment and have a role in the film.
However, for personal taste reasons, I would want to go with Foo Fighters because I want a rock song to get audiences pumped, like ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘A View To A Kill’ and ‘You Know My Name’.
Cars
Regarding cars, I would retire the DB5 for a while. We saw it far too much from the back end of Craig’s era, and it deserves a rest from appearing for a little bit and building the excitement up again.
Instead, I’d stay in the Aston Martin family and go with the Valour because it is a beautiful looking car, especially with a classic racing green.
Additionally, Aston Martin has made a track-only motorbike called the AMB 001; I’d ask the manufacturer to create a limited edition 007 version.
Merchandise
This is more of a general thing. One of the hopes of Amazon taking over Bond’s creative and overall oversight is that fans might get more cost-effective merchandise because under the Broccolis, everything was daylight robbery, overpriced and tat.
Under the tech company, they’ll be slightly looser with their grip over merchandise.
Not in a selling anything and everything under the sun, cheap tat, but a happy medium and I have the solution:
- Sign a deal with LEGO and re-release the LEGO Creator DB5. Plus, LEGO Creator versions of the Lotus Esprit (with retractable wheels) and Little Nellie.
- Help IO Interactive to progress the development of Project 007.
- Sign a deal with Epic Games to have a Battle Royale developed in the world of James Bond and have players be whatever character for the world of 007 they want to be. Loot boxes would have new maps, costumes and characters.
- Even though they have a streaming service, a 4K box set of all 25 films.
All of these would help build the brand, make the tech giant money and help get all generations interested in 007 again.
The Bear Cave 