While the world still waits for No Time To Die, the entire franchise could be shaken to its core by the latest Hollywood power plays. The British secret agent has often faced down some of the world’s shadiest and most powerful enemies but this time, according to Logan, the greatest threat will be coming from within. The writer argues that the new merger between Bond studio MGM and retail conglomerate Amazon could destroy everything that makes Bond so unique.
As well as scripting the Bond movies, Logan was Oscar-nominated for his work on Gladiator, The Aviator and Hugo. As a playwright, his Broadway production of Red won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Play.
Logan wrote an impassioned piece today warning that everything that makes the Bond movies so special and unique is now under threat.
He said: “So, Amazon now owns 50 percent of 007. With the acquisition of MGM and its movie catalog, the online retail giant bought into the James Bond franchise. When I heard this news, a chill went through me.”
Logan praised the Broccoli family which has produced the Bond films since the very beginning, and encouraged a spirit of artistic collaboration bwteen all involved.
Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael Wilson currently control a 50 percent share of the Bond empire and “keep the corporate and commercial pressures outside the door.”
Logan added: “That’s why we don’t have a mammoth Bond Cinematic Universe, with endless anemic variations of 007 sprouting up on TV or streaming or in spinoff movies. The Bond movies are truly the most bespoke and handmade films I’ve ever worked on. That’s why they are original, thorny, eccentric and special. They were never created with lawyers and accountants and e-commerce mass marketing pollsters hovering in the background.”
Logan descriubed working on Gladiator when the corporate financial powers tried to change the ending so that Maximus didn’t die – which they felt was “a bummer” and, more importantly, ruined chances of a sequel.
He added: “When bigger companies start having a say in iconic characters or franchises, the companies tend to want more, not better, and the quality differential can vary wildly, project to project. (See: the rapidly expanding “Star Wars” franchise at Disney and the DC Comics franchises of Superman, Batman and others at Warner Bros.)”
Logan described script discuissions at the Broccoli house over dinner as a family affair, with all the writers and producers mixing with multiple generations of Broccolis.
He said: “They weren’t afraid of controversy. In my experience, not many big movies can work with such freedom and risky joy. But with the Broccoli/Wilson family at the helm, Bond is allowed to provoke, grow and be idiosyncratic. Long may that continue.”
Published at Wed, 02 Jun 2021 16:48:00 +0000
James Bond writer issues 'chilling' warning: 'This could end Bond films forever'
