It’s officially official: MGM has been bought by Amazon, and for a cool $8.45 billion at that. With an eye on revamping legacy properties, and more than likely upping their original content output for Prime Video, some may be wondering what this could mean for the future of the James Bond franchise. Well, if you needed any confirmation that No Time To Die, or any other 007 film, will still be coming to a theater near you, longtime series producer Barbara Broccoli has just had the final say on such a matter.
In a statement to Variety, Broccoli firmly doubled down on the fact that No Time To Die will make its debut at the movies. And her official word also serves as notice for those who would think that the James Bond series could go the way of other spies like Without Remorse’s John Clark or Jack Ryan. The future of 007’s theatrical presence is, according to Barbara Broccoli, the following:
We are committed to continuing to make James Bond films for the worldwide theatrical audience.
James Bond fans have known that No Time To Die, or any other future installment in the world of Ian Fleming’s super spy, would always be a theatrical affair. It’s what prompted EON Productions to pass on the various offers made by streamers to take Daniel Craig’s swan song on as a streaming debut. But in a world where MGM is now absorbed into the Amazon collective, it’s even more important for Barbara Broccoli to firm up what this huge news means for the 007 legacy.
Delayed several times over since its initial release date set for 2019, No Time To Die has been through it all. The first domino was the changing of the guard from Danny Boyle to Cary Joji-Fukunaga, which saw the film pushed into 2020. But then, after settling on an April 2020 release, the COVID-19 pandemic saw the 25th installment as the first major release to prolong its opening as a result. With No Time To Die currently set for release this fall, Barbara Broccoli and her EON Productions crew have proven just how dedicated they are to keeping James Bond as a cinematic experience.
However, that’s not the only hurdle that No Time To Die will have to clear on its potential road to the Prime Video library. On top of EON Productions confirming that the cinematic release of the film is secure, there’s some recent developments that will see the 25th James Bond adventure on another platform for some time. Thanks to a recent deal made with Paramount, pay cable network Epix will have first dibs on No Time To Die’s afterlife, followed by a stop at Paramount+.
There’s one plus side to all of this wheeling and dealing between MGM and Amazon: there’s now a potential permanent streaming home for the legacy entries in the James Bond collection. So instead of trying to track down which streamer has which movies, and worrying about which ones are free with ads, the entire library might find itself in one convenient location. Though, we’ll have to wait to hear word on whether or not any other existing deals stand in the way of such a happening. In the meantime, No Time To Die will hit theaters on September 30th in the UK and October 8th in the US, just as nature intended.
