Amazon MGM Studios, whose parent company Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, has come an agreement with longtime James Bond movie producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, to form a joint venture that will house the movie property’s intellectual property rights. The Hollywood Reporter made the announcement on February 20, 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, Amazon MGM Studios gains creative control of the James Bond franchise, with Wilson and Broccoli remaining co-owners of the 60-year-old franchise. The initial 2022 MGM purchase gave Amazon rights to most other MGM assets, including the storied studio’s vast catalog of more than 4,000 films and 17,000 television shows.

Since the original MGM acquisition, Amazon has held rights to distribute all James Bond films, and after completion of the joint venture transaction, controls creative direction on future productions.

Wilson stated that he was stepping back from producing James Bond movies to focus on art and charitable projects, also saying “Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.” Broccoli echoed that it was time for her to step aside and allow Amazon MGM Studios to take over the creative reins.

Based on Ian Fleming’s original series of espionage novels, the James Bond movie franchise is one of the most popular film series in cinematic history, consisting of 27 movies, with the most recent one being No Time to Die, released in 2021.

Eon Productions, the company founded by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, released the first cinematic adaptation of an Ian Fleming novel, 1962’s Dr. No, based on the eponymous 1958 novel and featuring Sean Connery as 007. Bond has since been played by actors George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.