Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has taken to social media to ask his followers who they’d cast as the next James Bond.
The post came minutes after the surprise news broke that Amazon MGM has taken full creative control of the 007 franchise after striking a deal with longtime James Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
On X, Bezos wrote: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” alongside a screenshot of the BBC News headline: “James Bond's long-serving producers give control to Amazon.”
His followers replied with a wide variety of options, including plenty of support for Henry Cavill, James McAvoy, Tom Cruise and Theo James.
Cavill previously auditioned for the role before Daniel Craig landed the gig in 2005. Last year, Casino Royale director Martin Campbell told the Daily Express that Cavill came close to landing the part, saying: “He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape…very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”
Campbell suggested Cavill’s time may now have passed, adding: “Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”
Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman launched the Bond films in 1962 before Broccoli’s daughter and stepson took over. The Broccoli dynasty, cemented in the family’s UK-based production company EON, has been responsible for the franchise since.
It was announced on Thursday that Broccoli and Wilson have forged a new joint venture with Amazon to hand over the James Bond intellectual property rights. While the pair will remain co-owners of the franchise, the transaction leaves creative control of all future productions in the hands of Amazon.
The new deal comes amid mounting speculation over the fate of the British spy franchise after Daniel Craig made his final appearance as Bond in 2021’s No Time To Die almost four years ago. The franchise has gone silent in recent years, with no formal plans for the next movie or any recruitment of the next Bond actor.
Wilson said in a statement: “With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
Broccoli added: “My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli.
“I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.”
With no plans in place, the gap between No Time To Die and the next Bond film could beat the record for the longest break between Bond installments, which currently stands at six years and four months for the wait between 1989’s License to Kill and 1995’s Goldeneye.
