Daniel Craig was neither shaken nor shaking at the shocking announcement Thursday that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson had handed over control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon.
“My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remains constant and undeterred,” Craig, 56, played 007 in five films.
“I hope Michael has a long, relaxed (and obviously) retirement, and the venture Barbara is trying to do know they are spectacular.
1962's “Dr. This week, Hollywood surprised Hollywood.
“I feel like it's time to concentrate on other projects,” said broccoli, 64, who along with his brother Wilson, took over from his father, Albert “Cubby” broccoli in 1995.
The brothers remain co-owners, but Amazon is currently in charge of creative decisions for the brand.
According to Deadline, the rein-taking deal costs Amazon about $1 billion. This is in addition to the $8.4 billion paid by Jeff Bezos-Owner Company to acquire 007 distributor MGM in 2022.
Craig has worked with Broccoli outside the Bond franchise and the film industry in general.
His old boss produced the Broadway revival of “Macbeth,” the actor starred in 2022. She produced other Broadway shows, including “Prima Facie,” which includes the Jodie Comer and Tony Award-winning musical “Band Visit.” This season, Broccoli is working on the Buena Vista Social Club.
The last Bond film in 2021 starring Craig was “No Time To Die.” The actor's final outing as a MI6 agent with a license to kill a total of $774 million at the global box office.
No plans or cast for the 26th film have been announced.
