James Bond Has A New Home
All 25 James Bond movies will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on October 5.
This article is more than 2 years old
James Bond is one of the preeminent franchises in the world, right up there with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings. Also like those other very famous, very recognizable, and very profitable pieces of intellectual property, James Bond has come under the control of a mega-corporation; in 007’s case, it is Amazon. According to Deadline, that means that all twenty-five James Bond films will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on October 5.
Amazon purchased MGM earlier this year, closing a multi-billion dollar deal that took years to close and has aroused the suspicions of the Federal Trade Commission. When the company acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., it also acquired an enormous catalog of movies and television series, including the Rocky franchise, Stargate in its many permutations, and, of course, James Bond. This naturally means that Amazon is eager to make its proprietary streaming platform, Prime Video, the main place that people will go to for their superspy fix.
Fans will also have to be satisfied with the decades of accumulated movies soon to be on Amazon Prime Video, as the James Bond franchise is in one of its periodic states of hibernation. Daniel Craig departed from the series with 2021’s No Time to Die, concluding an impressive 15-year run for the actor, and leaving the franchise in need of a new primary actor. The selection process for a new James Bond is legendarily arduous and closely monitored, with Las Vegas bookmakers even gambling on the odds of various actors considered to be a favorite for the role.
There has actually been more public disclosure of the James Bond selection process of late than is typical, with longtime steward of the franchise Barbara Broccoli identifying several of the qualifications. Broccoli stated that the next James Bond would need to stay in the role for at least a decade, and we previously reported that the franchise is specifically looking for a person of color for the part. This is a controversial decision, unfortunately, as many fans of the franchise are convinced that the role must be played by a white man, as originally described by author Ian Fleming.
James Bond coming to Amazon Prime Video means that subscribers will soon be able to stream (deep breath) Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die on the service. There is no word what this means for the animated James Bond Jr. series.
It will likely be some years before we get a new James Bond and a new 007 movie. Fortunately, soon one will be able to marathon the entire thing at leisure, as long as you have approximately 48 hours to spare.
