James Bond under Amazon - Inside frustrating hunt for new 007 and what really went wrong

The Mirror talks to well-placed insiders about the fall-out from the decision to hand creative control over James Bond to US streaming giant Amazon

The failure to secure a new 007 to replace Daniel Craig signalled the “death knell” for the Bond franchise to remain British, insiders claim.

The recruitment process proved “incredibly frustrating” in the lack of candidates suitable to take over from the actor. One source the Mirror spoke to questioned whether had Eon Productions, run by Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli got someone in place, as well as a viable script, there would have been “less pressure” to allow Amazon MGM Studios to take full creative control.

Talks with Aaron Taylor-Johnson were just a “sounding out” and other names were bandied about but they struggled to settle on a new name. “Who knows if they had a name in place, this wouldn’t have happened,” a source said. Craig’s final portrayal was in 2021’s No Time To Die.

Amazon are thought to have been very keen to strike a deal as the rights to Ian Fleming’s books expires in 2035…meaning other studios could have taken on Bond. “They have a 10 year window to milk the franchise,” says an insider.

Meanwhile, James Bond actress Valerie Leon has raised concerns that the franchise will not be British anymore in the wake of Amazon takeover. Leon, 81, was a “Bond girl” in the films The Spy Who Loved Me and Never Say Never Again, alongside Sir Roger Moore and Sir Sean Connery.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that it does not worry her as “life changes, and everything moves on and changes”. Leon added: “The Bond franchise was very British and it won’t be anymore.

“And obviously if they make films they won’t go into the cinema... everything is so changed now, it just won’t be the same and I’m very old-fashioned anyway.” London-raised Broccoli and her half-brother Wilson have produced the last nine Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Spectre and No Time To Die.

Craig, whose first appeared in Casino Royale in 2006, said: “My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished. I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well deserved) retirement and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them.”

Shortly after the deal was announced, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stuck a post on Instagram, asking his followers: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?”

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