Bond producer calling Amazon “fucking idiots” was final straw for Jeff Bezos: “I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her”

Jeff Bezos reportedly went all out to remove James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli after she allegedly called Amazon executives “fucking idiots”.

It was announced last month that long-serving producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were stepping back from the creative process and handing over control of the beloved franchise to Amazon MGM Studios, ending over 60 years of the Broccoli family overseeing the films.

Now, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter, Bezos was determined to take all creative control for the IP through Amazon MGM Studios after The Wall Street Journal published a piece in December. This saw Broccoli quoted as telling her personal friends that Amazon executives were “fucking idiots” amid dealings with the Bond franchise.

It has been revealed that Bezos reportedly “read her quote in the Journal and got on the phone and said, ‘I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her,’” according to an unnamed insider who spoke to the Hollywood Reporter.

The insider also claimed that Bezos ended up paying close to a billion dollars for the franchise, a figure Deadline also recently reported.

Amazon made the deal to allow them full creative command over the franchise, which they had not been able to develop freely whilst Broccoli and Wilson were still involved. The pair took over from their father Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who produced every official Bond film from 1962’s Dr. No to 1989’s Licence To Kill.

NME has contacted Amazon MGM Studios for comment.

While Amazon now has creative control of the franchise, the studio will still share the intellectual property rights with Broccoli and Wilson.

Amazon acquired its share of the rights to the James Bond franchise in 2021 when they purchased studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The acquisition gave them access to the previous films and distribution of future movies, but up until now not the creative direction.

Following the takeover announcement, Bezos took to social media to ask fans who should next portray the iconic spy.

Among the most common replies were Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Aaron Taylor-John has been in the front-running for the role since Daniel Craig retired as 007. Last year, it was reported that he had been offered the role, although the actor avoided the question when asked about it on the red carpet for action-comedy The Fall Guy.

Many fans were furious about Amazon’s takeover of the franchise, with many believing the studio will “ruin” the iconic film series.

There has been no official announcement regarding the next James Bond film, with the last being Craig’s farewell in 2021’s No Time To Die.

Craig has since shared his thoughts on the takeover, saying: “My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished.” He continued: “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.”

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