Amy Pascal and David Heyman are in London starting early development on James Bond’s return.
Bond is back in motion.
After years of uncertainty, the next James Bond film has entered early development. Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now in London and getting started on 007’s long-awaited return.
It’s the first visible sign of movement since Amazon struck a $1 billion deal in February to take creative control of the franchise. Until then, Bond had remained firmly under the direction of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson at Eon Productions, who resisted any immediate plans following Amazon’s 2022 acquisition of MGM.
Valenti, Amazon MGM’s head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical, said the studio was “committed to honouring the legacy of this iconic character” while promising “a fresh, exhilarating new chapter” under Pascal and Heyman. Both have serious credentials: Pascal guided the Spider-Man franchise through multiple iterations, while Heyman’s filmography includes Gravity and the entire Harry Potter series.
The producers were not present at the event—“They are both in London getting started and couldn’t be here tonight,” Valenti said—but their absence served only to reinforce the message: work is happening.
Still, there’s a long road ahead. No writer has been announced, and the search for a director is likely to come before any casting decisions. That hasn’t stopped fans and bookmakers from speculating over the next 007, but for now, that conversation remains firmly on ice.
Broccoli and Wilson, who continue to co-own the Bond rights through a new joint venture with Amazon, have always insisted that choosing the right story comes before casting the role. It was a process that took four years last time.
Even so, Bond is now officially in play again. The location is London, the producers are in place—and the countdown has finally begun.
Source: Deadline
