The battle to save James Bond from becoming slop
6/4/202629 min
Casting is finally underway for a new James Bond. But why has it taken five years to even begin the search?
Since Daniel Craig retired as Bond in 2021, there have been reports of a behind-the-scenes David and Goliath battle between the family business which has held creative control of the franchise since the 1960s and its new owners, Amazon. It is now up to Jeff Bezos’s tech giant to decide who will play 007 – and how to run the series.
In an era when Hollywood studios are desperate to eek out every last dollar from movie franchises, can James Bond retain its mystique and appeal to a new generation of cinema goers?
We speak to Wall Street Journal enterprise reporter Erich Schwartzel.
Producers: Lucy Pawle and Xandra Ellin
Video producer: Richard Kenny
Mixed by: Travis Evans
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Daniel Craig at the world premiere of the Bond film, No Time to Die, London, September 28, 2021 Credit: Neil Hall/European Pressphoto Agency
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTristan Redman· Host0:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Speaker 10:03
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Eric Schwartzel· Guest0:08
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Speaker 10:13
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Jana Kramer0:21
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Tristan Redman· Host1:11
[gentle music] Casting is finally underway to find a new James Bond, and the next actor to play him could make or break the future of the film series. But why has it taken five years to even start looking for a replacement Bond?
Unknown speaker1:28
[pensive music]