“I don’t care what it costs”: Jeff Bezos wanted to get rid of James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli

Posted On March 8, 2025March 8, 2025

Many fans of the James Bond franchise have had mixed opinions about Amazon’s recent takeover, but recent reports have indicated that Jeff Bezos was personally invested in taking the reins and removing producer Barbara Broccoli.

Although Amazon had purchased MGM in 2022, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson had maintained their control over the James Bond IP. This resulted in drawn-out discussions between the company and the producers before Amazon’s eventual takeover.

Before the deal was finalised, The Wall Street Journal released a report in which they stated that Amazon had a “decayed relationship” with Broccoli. The differences in opinion between Amazon and Broccoli had resulted in an impasse which had stalled any plans regarding further instalments.

The report also contained details from insiders who claimed that Broccoli referred to Amazon executives as “fucking idiots’ who are holding the franchise “hostage”. A major reason behind Broccoli’s hesitance regarding Amazon’s interest in James Bond must have been producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli’s instructions for his children.

Before he passed away, he said: “Don’t let anybody else screw it up… You can screw it up if you want to, but don’t let other people screw it up.”

According to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter, Jeff Bezos was personally offended by Broccoli’s comments and took it upon himself to ensure that the deal happened regardless of the financial side of things.

An industry insider told The Hollywood Reporter: “He read her quote in the Journal and got on the phone and said, ‘I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her.’”

With Bezos and Amazon emerging with control of the IP on the other side of this public dispute, the future of the James Bond franchise remains uncertain.

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