The next big name on a movie theater screen may soon be Bond … James Bond. Amazon MGM Studios recently acquired full creative control of the James Bond franchise from its longtime stewards, the Broccoli family, with the intention of helming more Bond films. And we now know who may be helping them do this: Hollywood mega-producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are in talks to oversee the next iteration of Bond, according to Puck.
For the moment, this remains speculative. However, Puck reported that both Pascal and Heyman are currently negotiating deals with Amazon. If a deal is inked, it would mark a major turning point for the Bond franchise – and bring on two entertainment powerhouses. Pascal was previously the chairperson of Sony Pictures and currently runs her own production company, Pascal Pictures. Under that banner, she is best known for producing Sony’s Spider-Verse films starring Tom Holland, a spinoff of the MCU that includes the wildly successful Spider-Man: No Way Home. A fourth Spider-Man film is in the works, and Pascal is also set to produce Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptation.
Heyman, the man behind production company Heydey Films, is known for producing another iconic British film series: Harry Potter. Heydey Films produced all eight entries to the wildly popular wizarding franchise, as well as its spinoff films, Fantastic Beasts. He has also produced commerically successful films including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the adaptation of Wonka starring Timothée Chalamet, and the Margot Robbie mega-hit Barbie in 2023. So it’s clear that both Heyman and Pascal aren’t strangers to mega franchises.
‘Bond’ Remains Up in the Air
We still don’t know for sure whether this pair will adapt Bond — or if Bond even will be adapted for certain, though Amazon has expressed interest in making a wide universe with films and television shows. The most recent Bond, Daniel Craig, was killed off in 2021’s No Time to Die, and speculation has run rampant about who could be next to take on the mantle of the iconic spy.
The potential 26th Bond film likely wouldn’t be released for years, given that the next Bond hasn’t even been revealed yet. But with this latest report, it seems that the cogs are in the works to bring MI6’s best agent back to the big screen — especially since the Broccoli family has given full creative control of the franchise to Amazon, releasing it from the hands of their own production company, Eon.
No Time to Die is streaming on Amazon Prime now.
via Collider