As the half-siblings, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, inherited the James Bond franchise in the mid-1990s, they were bestowed with a piece of parting wisdom from their legendary producer father, Cubby Broccoli, on his deathbed. This advice would shape their creative decisions for decades to come. "Don't let anyone else tarnish it," he cautioned them sternly. "You have the power to ruin it if you choose, but don't give that privilege to anyone else."
Regrettably, the torch has now been passed to another. Last week, Barbara, aged 64, revealed that she and Wilson, who has been easing into retirement at 83 over the past few years, were relinquishing their stake in EON, their late father's company, to Amazon—the formidable international entity led by a bald billionaire who resides in a lavish yacht (though some might say it's akin to a hollowed-out volcano in grandeur). This startling revelation left much of Hollywood scratching their heads in bewilderment. Why, after so diligently safeguarding this cherished family treasure, would Broccoli abruptly abandon it, especially to those she had been locking horns with for the past four years since Amazon acquired MGM, Bond's long-standing home, for $8.45 billion in 2021? insiders whispered a couple of theories.
Theory one: After helming nine Bond films spanning over three decades, beginning with GoldenEye in 1995, Broccoli's passion and resilience for another lengthy Bond production marathon had waned. Though renowned for her prowess in dispatching meddlesome film executives—a skill she honed early on with MGM—Broccoli was rumored to have grown weary of these battles and had reportedly hit a brick wall with her new partners at Amazon, whom she recently lambasted in a Wall Street Journal interview as "fucking idiots." Those colorful remarks, in hindsight, served as a harbinger of her exhaustion and readiness to bolt.
Theory two: Jeff Bezos made her an offer she couldn't refuse. "He read her quote in the Journal and, on the spur of the moment, phoned her up saying, 'I don't care what it takes, just get rid of her,'" recounted a source privy to the franchise's inner workings, confirming that Bezos ended up shelling out a whopping billion dollars (pinkie to lips, as they say).
Both theories carry weight, yet neither fully captures the perplexing turnaround in Broccoli's heart. For starters, money is hardly an issue for her; she's reportedly worth close to half a billion dollars. Moreover, she's not merely severing ties with the franchise but also with the rest of the Broccoli family, including budding heirs—the Broccolini clan—such as Wilson's son, Greg, who sources hint was being groomed to take the reins, along with a niece who has also contributed to the films. "To be frank," confided the source to the Rambling Reporter, "nobody knows why Barbara did it. It's beyond comprehension."
