Ex-007 praises Broccolis for series while expressing concern for its future after bombshell announcement
The ex-007 star Timothy Dalton has weighed in on last week’s announcement on the future of the James Bond franchise.
On 20 February, Amazon announced it had struck a deal to have “creative control” over the movies after negotiating with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the heirs to the series. Dalton, who played Bond in Licence to Kill and The Living Daylights, was asked about his thoughts during an interview with the Daily Telegraph.
“It is one of the few wonderful stories we’ve got in film that is British,” Dalton said. “The leading character is British. We can call it our own.” He praised Broccoli, calling her “fantastic” and “one of the best women in the world”.
“I have no idea what Amazon would do with it, and I have no idea what the relationship of Amazon to the Broccolis will be,” he said. “But it is a damn fine series of movies. I was watching it when I was young, we all were. It’s been part of our lives, so anything that threatens it is kind of sad.” He also expressed no concern over the financial success of the deal, saying “Amazon are quite capable of making it a hit”
In another interview with the Radio Times, Dalton said he was “very, very surprised and shocked”.
The actor was promoting his role in the hit TV series 1923 alongside Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.
Last week in a statement, Amazon’s film chief, Mike Hopkins, said the company was “honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase”. It has been reported that the deal cost Amazon about $1bn. The news was quickly followed by Amazon’s executive chair, Jeff Bezos, asking fans who they thought should be the next Bond on social media.
Daniel Craig, who had the longest tenure as the character between the years of 2006 and 2020, reacted to the news in a statement.
“My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished,” he said. “I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well deserved) retirement and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them.”
The Bond films have made almost $8bn at the global box office.
.
This is what we’re up against
Bad actors spreading disinformation online to fuel intolerance and undermine democracy.
A media ecosystem dominated by a handful of billionaire owners.
Teams of lawyers from the rich and powerful trying to stop us publishing stories they don’t want you to see.
Lobby groups with opaque funding who are determined to undermine facts about the climate emergency and other established science.
Authoritarian states with no regard for the freedom of the press.
***
But we have something powerful on our side.
We’ve got you.
This is why we’re inviting you to access our brilliant, investigative journalism with exclusive digital extras to unlock:
1. Unlimited articles in our app
2. Ad-free reading on all your devices
3. Exclusive newsletter for supporters, sent every week from the Guardian newsroom
4. Far fewer asks for support
5. Full access to the Guardian Feast app
The Guardian is funded by readers like you in Pakistan and the only person who decides what we publish is our editor.
If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. T
