James Bond Will Return – but in what guise?

For over six decades, audiences have been entertained by the exploits of M16 secret agent James Bond. Based on the novels of Ian Fleming, Cubby Broccoli bought the rights to produce the films, meaning that he and his family - daughter Barbara Broccoli and stepson Michael G. Wilson - have retained creative control over the franchise since the first film, Dr No was released in 1962.

Our research has traced the evolution of the franchise - demonstrating how the success of the franchise depended on adhering to a formula, while moving with the times in terms of gender politics, geopolitics and popular culture. We recently analysed how the most vocal fans of the franchise have not always supported this move away from the tone of the earlier films where misogyny and racism were more evident. We coined the term ‘regressive nostalgia’ to represent how these superfans engaged with the franchise, preferring earlier depictions of Bond where empire was celebrated, men were dominant and women ‘knew their place’.

The Bond films have become increasingly progressive in line with developments in Western democracies such as the UK (the home of Bond) moving to enshrine equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in legislation and social practices. Barbara Broccoli has defended the more progressive gender and racial politics of the films as they have evolved, saying that Bond replicates what is going on in the world rather than trying to influence change.

However, recent changes in the political climate in the US where Project 2025 seeks to remove EDI protections seems to be a turning point. For the first time in decades, we are seeing efforts by politicians and their allies to roll back on legal protection for women and minority communities. The US government is seen to be in close partnership with tech billionaires, most noticeably Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos all of which were seated at President Trump’s inauguration in front of cabinet picks. While Musk has set his sights on slashing and burning public sector support structures, Zuckerberg is advocating the need for ‘more masculine energy’ and Bezos’s Amazon MGM Studios has now taken creative control of the Bond franchise. While a streaming platform acquiring the rights to creative control of a popular film franchise may not be seen as so significant in the face of the massive political upheaval that we are seeing, our research suggests otherwise.

If Bond were to continue to be stewarded by the Broccoli family, we might see a continuation of characters as representing the diversity of society. However, our British spy will be controlled by a new paymaster, US tech company Amazon. Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon MGM Studios, had committed to increasing diversity in the entertainment industry, hiring the studio’s first head of diversity. However, following diktats from the new US administration, Amazon MGM Studios removed their ‘inclusion playbook’ from their website in September 2024.

Amazon MGM Studios are committed to developing a Bond Universe, in keeping with developments for competing film franchises from Marvel and Disney. It will be interesting to see the direction they may go in; the Bond back catalogue is replete with characters and narratives ripe for spin-offs. When we last saw Bond on screen, in No Time to Die in 2021, his 007 moniker was taken up by Lashana Lynch when Bond went missing. Many Bond fans were unhappy that ‘not only a woman, but a black woman’ stepped in as 007, decrying this as a ‘woke’ move from Barbara Broccoli. James Bond was killed off at the end of this film leaving the future of Bond open to speculation.

After the news broke, Bezos asked his followers on X who the next Bond should be. While the fans have rigid criteria as to who can or cannot be Bond, primarily in terms of skin colour and gender, as our research shows, it may be dangerous to heed them too closely as the most vocal fans are not necessarily representative of most viewers. If Amazon is to reclaim Bond’s roots as a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur” (Judi Dench’s words as ‘M’ in GoldenEye), the super spy could go back in time to his origins in the 1950s or his heyday of the 1960s, legitimating regressive gender and racial stereotyping. If, however, he is to follow the careful stewardship of the Broccoli family for a more diverse and contemporary Bond, they may choose to reinstate Lynch.

With the deal reported to have cost Amazon $1 billion, clearly a return on investment will be needed, so we may well see all the above. Indeed, the length of time for the Bond films to be released has been a long-standing complaint amongst fans - only a few days ago an Austrian property developer challenged the trademark ownership of the Bond name after five years of non-use.

There are rising fears that Amazon will seek to turn the franchise into a content farm, diluting the Bond brand with spinoffs and prequels. Amazon Prime already has a track record with the Jack Ryan and Jack Reacher series which also originated as novels. For Bond, it is easy to imagine a TV series around characters such as Q or M, for example. Halle Berry’s Jinx character had previously been floated as an option for a spin-off, although the development was ultimately cancelled due to a lack of budget, the options with Amazon’s coffers at the ready are limitless.

Whatever happens, we can expect that James Bond Will Return, although it may be on the small screen rather than the cinematic one.

• Finola Kerrigan, University of Birmingham; Chloe Preece, Professor of Marketing, ESCP Business School, London; and Dr Daragh O’Reilly