Amazon: Amazon reportedly paid James Bond producers close to a billion dollars for the British Spy

The James Bond franchise cost Amazon nearly a billion dollars, according to the latest report from The Hollywood Reporter. This brings back recent memories of the Oscars 2025 ceremony, which included a six-minute-long James Bond-themed performance. The Substance star Margaret Qualley appeared in a dance performance alongside Raye, Doja Cat, and LISA, who performed iconic Bond theme songs.

The performance was a tribute honoring the 007 series' 60th anniversary and its producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Oscar at the Governors Awards a few months ago. The half-siblings have overseen the film series for 30 years, having taken control from their father, Albert R. Broccoli, in 1995.

The Oscar performance reportedly felt awkward and misplaced to some viewers, given the context of Amazon’s recent deal, which granted the company creative control over the franchise’s future. It turns out Amazon paid the James Bond producers close to a billion dollars for the British spy.

Amazon's history with the James Bond franchise explored

Bond in motion - 60 years James Bond Exhibition - Source: Getty

In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM Studios, the studio behind the James Bond films, for nearly $8.5 billion. However, that wasn’t the company’s only connection to the spy series. According to a detailed report from The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon had previously approached the franchise producers with TV show ideas. However, these projects never materialized.

The reason reportedly lies in Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson's firm stewardship over the IP. Despite their differing perspectives, they had deep trust in each other. A source told THR:

“They didn’t always agree. But they had a way of working through to a resolution that they would both stand by. They never tried to do an end run around each other. They were always in it together.”

In the past, the half-siblings helped elevate the franchise to new heights by casting Daniel Craig as the seventh 007 agent in 2006. The Bond films starring Craig were reportedly the most profitable in the series. Whether Casino Royale or Skyfall, the producing duo steered the franchise in a positive direction.

However, in light of the recent deal, the franchise’s future remains uncertain. John Cork, the creator of the Bond Bible for EON Productions, weighed in:

“People think they know James Bond because they know the iconography of the martini and the gun and the gadgets. But there is a very particular set of things that occur below the surface that have kept the character resonating for over 60 years. There’s a line from the novel Goldfinger about how high tension was Bond’s ‘natural way of life’ and that ‘pressure and danger relaxed him’. Amazon is going to need to get people in the room who understand that.”