When last we checked in on the state of the James Bond franchise, the situation was dire. According to a grim December 2024 report from The Wall Street Journal, Bond rights holder Amazon MGM Studios was at loggerheads with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who controlled the creative destiny of the character. While Amazon, which acquired the property when it bought MGM in 2022, was keen to build out a James Bond extended universe, with films and television shows focusing on longtime supporting characters like M's secretary Miss Moneypenny, Broccoli and Wilson saw no reason to deviate from a 62-year-old formula that had only required minor tweaks in the face of major social and political upheaval. Nevertheless, Amazon kept pressing the reluctant producers with algorithm-generated notions about growing the brand creatively, leading Broccoli to reportedly exclaim "These people are f****** idiots."

Alas, the "f****** idiots" are now in charge.

The...