Look, I get it. James Bond is a beloved franchise with a storied history of over seventy years. Sure, the quality of the films themselves has varied since 1962's Dr. No, but the series stands apart from other intellectual properties on account of its prestige and, yes Britishness. Bond isn't Marvel. Bond isn't even Star Wars. Bond is a unique proposition that has managed to weather decades of political and cultural change. It's a timeless brand that has given us some of the best films, best songs and best movie posters of all time. So it's no surprise that Barbara Broccoli and EoN Productions' decision to sell creative control of the series to Amazon has been described by many as a death sentence for 007.
I'm a huge Bond fan; an aficionado of the spends-too-much-time-on-the-fan-forums variety. And on those forums, the mood is bleak. The general feeling is that after years of proper stewardship, the Bond brand is, for the first time, in unsafe hands. But I'm here to tell them, and you, that everything is going to be ok! Because I'm personally delighted that Amazon has taken over. What's that? You want to know five internet-friendly reasons why? Of course.
It's a well-known fact that the Star Wars franchise has vastly improved under Disney. Rather than diluting a brilliant film series by tacking on a bunch of unwarranted and inconsistent streaming spin-offs, Disney has greatly enhanced it by adhering to a 'more is more' philosophy. Amazon will no doubt do the same to Bond. Personally I can't wait for small-screen spin-offs like The Adventures of Young Q, The Moneypenny Diaries and the 00-Academy, as well as reality TV shows such as The Blofeld Games. Bring it on, I say. Franchises are all about 'content' after all.
03. A new Bond
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sure, I just said Bond is quintessentially British, but with Amazon at the helm, anything goes now! While Broccoli and co. might have spent years casting the right actor to play 007, Amazon's casting agents (aka The Algorithm) will most likely make the decision based on Instagram followers. Which means James Bond is probably going to be played by the most followed actor, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. I personally think Dwayne will be great in the role. He has Connery's charisma, Moore's charm, Brosnan's sophistication and Craig's physique (and then some!). He's an absolute no-brainer.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
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