“I Don’t Care What It Costs, Get Rid Of Her”… We Now Know How Much Amazon Paid To Acquire James Bond [ Celebrities ]

It’s been three years since James Bond last graced the silver screen, and in that time, the world’s most famous spy has found himself in an unexpected battle: The Broccoli heirs vs. Amazon and Jeff Bezos.

After 2021’s “No Time to Die” sent Daniel Craig’s 007 into the sunset, the franchise’s future fell into limbo. Months turned to years with no script, no story, and no new Bond in sight. Fans were left shaken (if not stirred), wondering if and when their favorite MI6 agent would return. Whispers grew that something was amiss at Bond’s home base as the series languished without a clear direction or a successor to the 007 mantle.

Those whispers exploded into headlines in late 2024 when The Wall Street Journal exposed a “dire” behind-the-scenes clash holding up the next Bond film. The Broccoli family – long-time stewards of the James Bond franchise – were reportedly at an impasse with Amazon, the tech giant that acquired Bond’s studio in 2022. According to insiders, the relationship between Barbara Broccoli (James Bond’s lead producer) and Amazon had “all but collapsed,” scuttling any near-term plans for Bond 26. Broccoli was said to be so distrustful of Amazon’s data-driven approach that she refused to move forward; she told friends there was “no script, no story, and no new Bond” on the horizon. With 007’s future caught in a standoff between a Hollywood dynasty and a Silicon Valley titan, the stage was set for a high-stakes corporate showdown. And that showdown ended recently thanks to a jaw-dropping payout that finally broke the deadlock, leaving Hollywood stunned and Amazon in control.

Guardians of 007: The Broccoli Legacy

For decades, the James Bond franchise has been a family business protected with almost fanatical care. Producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli co-founded EON Productions in 1961 to bring Ian Fleming’s British secret agent to the screen, and his heirs have jealously guarded Bond’s legacy ever since.

After co-producer Harry Saltzman sold his stake in the 1970s, Cubby (and later his daughter Barbara Broccoli and stepson Michael G. Wilson) maintained ironclad control over 007’s adventures. Barbara and Michael officially took the reins in the 1990s, overseeing Bond’s revival in “GoldenEye” (1995) after a six-year hiatus.

Over the years, they proved themselves dedicated caretakers: the Broccolis steered Bond through five decades and 25 films, yielding over $7 billion at the global box office while fiercely protecting the brand’s prestige. Under the Broccolis, Bond was not just another piece of IP to be franchised to death – he was a crown jewel of cinema. EON Productions famously avoided the Hollywood trend of endless spin-offs, crossovers, and TV adaptations. Unlike Marvel or Star Wars, there was no “Bond Cinematic Universe” filled with side characters on streaming shows.

The family’s philosophy was simple: keep Bond special, eventize each film, and never let 007 become cheapened.

All of that careful curation was tested when Amazon entered the picture. In 2022, Amazon paid a whopping $8.5 billion to acquire MGM Studios (the longtime distributor of Bond films). The deal gave Jeff Bezos’s company control over MGM’s vast library – including James Bond’s film catalog – as Amazon looked to bolster its Prime Video streaming arsenal. But there was a catch: creative control of Bond still resided with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who held an iron grip on approvals via their company EON. Amazon now owned the studio that released 007, but it didn’t own 007 himself. “They did not have the creative rights to the franchise, which remained under the purview of producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson,” as one report noted of Amazon’s post-acquisition predicament. In other words, Bond’s new corporate landlords couldn’t so much as pick a director or plotline without the Broccolis’ blessing – a clause that would soon ignite tensions.

Old School vs. New Vision: Bond Meets Amazon

At first, both sides spoke diplomatically about working together, but tension quickly escalated. Amazon was eager to justify its $8.5 billion MGM purchase by expanding Bond into a full-blown franchise. Plans were floated for spin-offs: a Moneypenny series, a Felix Leiter CIA thriller, and even a female 007. Broccoli, however, saw these ideas as a betrayal of Bond’s legacy, fearing they would dilute the mystique of the series.

Disagreements turned personal. Broccoli reportedly dismissed Amazon’s proposals outright, calling their execs “f—ing idiots.” Worse, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke’s casual reference to Bond as mere “content” enraged her further. Relations grew so frosty that Broccoli’s half-brother and producing partner, Michael G. Wilson, was allegedly sidelined from key meetings. By late 2024, Broccoli had privately decided she no longer wanted to make a new Bond film with Amazon. The partnership was deadlocked: Amazon needed her approval, and she refused to budge.

The impasse was so severe that it made headlines in The Wall Street Journal, which exposed the feud. The Broccolis held a de facto veto over Bond’s future, leaving the franchise frozen. For Amazon, which had spent billions acquiring MGM, this was untenable. Something had to give. And Jeff Bezos was about to ensure it wasn’t Amazon.

I Don’t Care What It Costs, Get Rid Of Her

Facing an unbreakable deadlock, Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos decided to take matters into his own hands. The turning point came after Bezos read Barbara Broccoli’s unfiltered insults in the WSJ report – learning that the Bond producer had called his Amazon Studios team “idiots” and declared she wouldn’t play ball.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, an incensed Bezos immediately phoned his top brass and delivered a simple directive: “I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her.”

What followed was a billion-dollar check with James Bond’s name on it. Multiple industry outlets have since reported that Bezos and Amazon paid roughly $1 billion to buy out the Broccolis’ remaining stake in the franchise and end the creative logjam. In one fell swoop, Amazon effectively wrote a $1B “thank you, goodbye” note to Barbara Broccoli – a sum so large that Hollywood agents and executives collectively gasped. (For perspective, $1 billion is about one-eighth of what Amazon paid for all of MGM, and even Skyfall – the highest-grossing Bond film ever – made just over $1.1 billion worldwide.) It’s an astonishing figure to spend just to gain creative freedom over a single property. But to Jeff Bezos, this was a decisive endgame move. The nice thing about having insane amounts of money is you can pay insane amounts of money amounts to make annoying problems go away.