James Bond Is Going To Become More Sci-Fi
James Bond is possibly going to get a little more out there.
This article is more than 2 years old
Amazon will soon be the owner of a vast collection of iconic films and TV shows once it acquires the studio MGM and easily, its most prized possession will be the James Bond films, including the yet-to-be-released 25th film in the series, No Time To Die. But even though Daniel Craig has announced that he will be bidding farewell to the role of 007, it does not mean the end of the franchise. It will probably spawn 50 more films before fizzling out, who knows! But now the future of the same will rest with Amazon once the acquisition is complete and reportedly, the technology company already has plans of including more sci-fi elements in future films.
Amazon had recently assured that it will be releasing all the pending MGM film titles, including No Time To Die, in theaters and not on its streaming platform contrary to speculations that predicted otherwise. But even though no changes will be made to No Time To Die, the same might not hold true for the franchise going forward. We Got This Covered has reported that Amazon has big plans of tinkering with the franchise which includes adding “more sci-fi elements” into the James Bond films.
It needs to be pointed out that previous attempts by the Bond franchise to lean their films more into the sci-fi genre haven’t been that well-received. Heavily inspired by the blockbuster success of Star Wars: A New Hope, the 11th James Bond film Moonraker (1979) not only starred Roger Moore as James Bond but also featured spaceships as well as space lasers and is the only film in the franchise to send 007 into space. 2002’s Die Another Day took it a step further and added everything from gene therapy, an invisible car, to a giant space laser. It was the re-imagination of the James Bond universe (while retaining its unique brand of style) with 2006’s Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, that re-established it as a bankable franchise.
This report comes right after a New York Times opinion piece by Skyfall and Spectre writer, John Logan, who has expressed his concern for the James Bond franchise under Amazon’s control. He is afraid that “a global technology company” like Amazon, which is “not necessarily a champion or guardian of artistic creativity or original entertainment,” will end up suppressing the uniqueness of the franchise by interfering with the creative process of the films. He highlighted that the Bond universe has retained its popularity and loyal fans for decades only because it established its own distinct genre.
If Amazon is indeed making plans of meddling with the current surefire formula of the films, then Logan’s fears are indeed true as this plan to add more “sci-fi elements” is most probably based on Marvel’s blockbusters and the renewed success of the Star Wars franchise. But major franchises have been known to pick up elements from different genres from time to time and maybe, this time, the James Bond films will do it right.
