James Bond's long-serving producers give control to Amazon

The James Bond film franchise will no longer be controlled by the Broccoli dynasty, after long-serving masterminds Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson announced they are stepping down.

The Bond films were launched by Albert "Cubby" Broccoli in 1962, before his daughter and stepson took over.

The pair will now give creative control to Amazon MGM Studios, which was formed when Amazon bought Bond's parent studio in 2022.

The new deal comes after mounting speculation about the fate of the British spy, four years after his last outing in No Time to Die, which was also Daniel Craig's final appearance in the role.

A statement said Broccoli and Wilson will "remain co-owners of the franchise" as part of a new joint venture but Amazon MGM Studios "will gain creative control".

Wilson, 83, said: "With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects.

"Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future."

Broccoli, 64, added: "My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli.

"I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry.

"With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects."

Cubby Broccoli launched the iconic franchise with co-producer Harry Saltzman, and was joined by Wilson as a producing partner for 1985's A View to a Kill.

Barbara took over from her father to join Wilson as a producer for 1995's GoldenEye, and the pair have overseen every Bond film since through their Eon production house.

When Amazon took over MGM, which shared the rights to Bond with Eon, Broccoli and Wilson said they would keep creative control.

However, negotiations with the US giant behind the scenes may explain why there has been a long delay without any announcement about a 26th official Bond film, or its star.

Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said: "We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world."