Now pay attention, 007. On Wednesday, 13th November, the UK’s press carried detailed reports from The Associated Press (AP) of an interview AP had conducted with the James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson on the eve of the EON duo collecting their Oscars honour, the Irving G. Thalberg Award.
During the course of the interview, the EON pair reflected briefly on the legacy and future of James Bond. For the late 007 producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award had been a true high point in his career. Cubby said as much when accepting the prize, a non-competitive honorary Oscar, at the Academy Awards in 1982.
As many Bond fans will know, the then-007 actor Roger Moore presented it to him that night while his family in the audience looked on, including his daughter, Barbara, who was apparently reduced to tears, and her brother, Michael G. Wilson. ‘He always treasured it’, Barbara Broccoli said in the recent interview with The Associated Press. ‘It was the most important physical possession he had’. The award, she said, sat on her father’s mantlepiece for many years. Broccoli, 64, and Wilson, 82, have now followed in Cubby’s footsteps as the 40th recipients, collecting the Oscar statuette on Sunday at the 15th Governors Awards in Hollywood. ‘It’s a rare honour, and I think that makes it extra special’, Wilson told AP.
Since its inception in 1937, the award has only been given 39 times, celebrating creative producers for a lifetime of quality films. The roster of honorees is a who’s-who of Hollywood legends from David O. Selznick and Walt Disney to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. And only once before Broccoli has it gone to a woman, Kathleen Kennedy in 2018. ‘It’s very humbling’, Broccoli said. ‘I think of so many people who have come before us, so many people I wish had been given the honor who aren’t with us anymore’.
A New World and a New Bond?
What path is EON currently planning to take? As AP noted, for many years, EON split profits from the Bond movies with MGM, which financed and distributed the films. But that became slightly more complicated in May 2021, several months before the last Daniel Craig Bond, No Time to Die opened (after long delays caused by Covid), when Amazon purchased MGM for $8.45 billion. The siblings continue to own 50% of Bond and maintain creative control over its future, but remain cautious at the moment: ‘People are playing it very safe. I think in times of crisis like this, you’ve got to be brave’, Broccoli said. ‘It’s certainly a new era in the movie business, so we’re trying to figure it out’.
Cubby passed the torch to his two children in 1995; he died the next year. Since then, Wilson has operated as the business affairs person and Broccoli as more of a creative and practical producer. Their different skills and interests were clearly compatible. ‘I think it worked out pretty well’, Wilson told AP. ‘We were a good team’.
During their tenure, they bid farewell to the Pierce Brosnan era and welcomed Daniel Craig as the new Bond; they remained firm in their decision, despite the immense backlash. They also produced non-Bond films, like Till. But the spotlight on them has intensified as the world awaits official word on Bond film no.26 and a new James Bond actor. There have, of course, been numerous rumours and endless speculation about who will take over, as catalogued by the JBIFC in our Newsletters and news blogs. One long-running rumour has concerned Aaron Taylor-Johnson but, according to the AP interview, Broccoli and Wilson were staying tight-lipped on even a general timeline for when an announcement might come: ‘It’s a big decision’, Broccoli said.
AP noted that the duo have teased some things in recent times: it will be a man; he will likely be in his 30s, and whiteness is not a given. Moreover, whoever says ‘yes’ to the role is doing so with the expectation of at least a decade’s worth of films. And, as AP reminded us, one thing is certain: there’s going to be a period of adjustment for audiences in the transition. Every Bond had its detractors, especially at the start. Broccoli saw first-hand the vitriol of the internet era when Craig was cast (‘anti-Daniel nonsense’, she called it).
But when people finally saw Casino Royale, the sentiment shifted to high praise and positive critical reaction. Indeed, the five Craig Bond films are the highest grossing in the EON series, not adjusting for inflation. According to AP, the selection of Craig remains one of Broccoli’s proudest moments. And a new Bond means new opportunity: in Wilson’s view, ‘Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction’, he said. ‘Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different’.
In fact, AP noted, the EON producers are playing the long game with James Bond, producing and cinema in general, while trying not to lose sight of the Cubby spirit: ‘He always said films were like the circus coming to town’, Broccoli told AP. ‘You set up your tent, everybody comes and you create magic. It’s all about pleasing the audience, making sure that people get their bang for their buck’.
The JBIFC would like to congratulate the Bond producers on their well-deserved award. Cubby, had he been alive today, would be overjoyed and extremely proud.
Wilson, Craig & Broccoli during a press call for ‘No Time To Die’.