The message Broccoli relayed was that she and her producing partnerMichael G. Wilsonhaverelinquished creative control of all things 007.
You could tell she was upset though, they said.
Maybe it must be kind of enjoyable to be free of the kind of struggle, one opined.
Daniel Craig as James BondEverett
Rather, I think that thats the positive side to it.
But I mean basically him leaving the stage and then also the need to find a new Bond.
Its big, isnt it?
(L-R) Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig in 2022Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
I think it does feel like a bit of an end of an era.
And how does that operate in this sort of world that were in now?
And creative producers are not two-a-penny.
Two pairs of shoes to fill.
And theres the casting, the casting in the past has been exceptional.
And that comes from the top, another source said, because Broccoli was able to persuade people.
And Michael backed her, they said.
He backed her and she very much was the driving force of casting Daniel [Craig].
And that wouldnt have happened under a committee.
Assembling the great production crews, you know, production designers, the … well, everything.
And thats how this incredible thing has been maintained.
And so thats very difficult to … how do you replicate that?
Well, Michael was going to step back.
Barbara said as much at thepremiere ofNo Time to Die.
If shed had found another actor with all the right factors, then maybe.
But remember, Barbara couldnt see herself working without her family.
Theres class and theres class.
Theres also family, and they [Amazon MGM] are not family.
After Craig bowed out of the franchise, Broccoli did meet with a few actors.
But I definitely dont think that there was any frontrunner.
They wanted to know what they wanted to do next before they thought of the right person for it.
They continued: Its sort of chicken and egg, isnt it?
And if there was a blindingly obvious new guy, it might be a different situation.
And its so tied up with whos going to play the part and whats the tone.
And then, so all of those things are massive decisions.
But when you produce aSpectre, aSkyfallor aNo Time to Die, these things just dont happen.
They were the gold standard, and whats the price of gold now?
Questioned on what possible Bond spinoffs might emerge, one source offered caution.
I say, There is a long way to go.
And it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
But, I have to ask: Do Bond fans want their Bond experience diluted?
Just dont shake it up and stir it too much, otherwise the whole thing will shatter.
