I wish Apple, not Amazon, now owned the rights to the James Bond series. But let me back up.
In 2022, I watched “The Grey Man” spy thriller on Netflix. Was it a great movie? Nope. But it was ridiculously fun — a big, dumb popcorn movie that had no purpose but to entertain.
Y’know, like the James Bond films used to be before they got so dark. Don’t get me wrong. I think Daniel Craig was a fantastic James Bond (though his insistence on killing 007 in his final film drops him out of my pick for the top two best Bonds), but too often the films in his run lacked the sheer fun of the best 007 films like “Goldfinger,” “Goldeneye,” and “Casino Royale.” (The latter, Craig’s debut as 007, was gritty and emotional, but still fun. For instance, the opening parkour battle was one of the best Bond openings ever.)
But the last Craig film, “No Time to Die,” and killing off James Bond? Sorry. That’s a step too far. Which means Craig now falls behind Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan as my favorite Bonds. The latter was a fantastic 007, but, after his brilliant debut in “Goldeneye,” the follow-up films were marred by disappointing scripts.
But back to why I wish Apple now had control of the franchise. Amazon now has creative control franchise after acquiring MGM Studios, which owned the rights, in 2022. I don’t trust Bezos and Company to do right by 007. Perhaps Apple could’ve. I think our favorite tech company could take the entertaining aspects of “The Grey Man” (which, thank goodness, never delved into “The Man With The Golden Gun” levels of comedy), get a good script, and give us a James Bond movie that’s exciting, ambitious, and, yes, fun.
But since the ship has sailed for Apple to give us new 007 films, perhaps Amazon will at least nail the casting for a new James Bond. My top three choices are: Stuart Martin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Taylor-Johnson), and Aidan Turner.
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