A Moneypenny ‘James Bond’ spin-off series almost happened—yes, really
Amazon officially owns James Bond, and hardcore Bond fans (Bondies? Bondvians?) are none too happy about it.
They’re worried that Amazon will run the franchise like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all spinoffs and lavish movies with no substance. Say what you like about the Bond franchise, but Brosnan and Craig-era producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson always did know how to exercise restraint. There’s a reason we never got something like a “teenage James Bond” show. (Not that there aren’t countless shows out there that stole the DNA of the Bond franchise and used it for a teen character, but I digress.)
Many people have groaned at the fact that Amazon head Jeff Bezos now owns James Bond since he’s one of the many real-life Bond villains we have running the show right now. They’re also worried about what nonsense might happen once the Bond x Amazon era commences.
These fans are right to be worried. As it turns out, Amazon had ideas for the franchise in 2021 when they first bought MGM. They tried cajoling Broccoli and Wilson into multiple Bond spinoffs, according to a new article from The Hollywood Reporter. Among their ideas were “a show about Bond CIA buddy Felix Leiter, and maybe even something involving a female 007.” Then there was the Moneypenny plan. Amazon was reportedly really interested in producing a show following MI6 secretary Miss Moneypenny, but Broccoli and Wilson were not up for it, and reportedly, they bristled when head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke called the Bond movies “content.” You can see why, can’t you?
There’s apparently no love lost between Broccoli (Wilson is now retired) and Amazon. According to THR, quoting the Wall Street Journal, Broccoli once called the Amazon executives “f**king idiots,” sending Jeff Bezos into a rage. He reportedly declared to his minions, “I don’t care what it costs, get rid of her.” Well, Broccoli is now a billionaire, and James Bond is out of her hands.
The pushback against the acquisition has been particularly loud on social media. News of the proposed Moneypenny spinoff was met with some drastic eye-rolling. “The people are clamoring for a Moneypenny show. Every time I talk to people about TV—in person or online—they all keep saying they wished there was a show about M’s secretary,” quipped one film reviewer. “A billionaire hearing that there’s a James Bond character named Moneypenny and instantly trying to make a solo project around her. Knife found in kitchen,” said another.
A Moneypenny spinoff is not actually a terrible idea?
Now, I’m here to offer a dissenting view! I was admittedly never much of a James Bond fan, but as a Brit, it’s written into my cultural consciousness, and I did very much like Skyfall, Daniel Craig’s third outing as Bond. That film introduced Naomie Harris as a new take on Moneypenny, and I loved that version of the character.
I’d be interested in a Moneypenny series if Harris came along for the ride. I think you could get a lot of mileage out of a Black woman’s experiences in MI6. Add in a cameo from Ben Whishaw as Q (he was an utter dreamboat in that role) and you have a TV show I would watch!
But I totally get the eye-rolling. I’ve followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its very beginning and I haven’t even seen some of the latest “content”—I’m too burned out. I understand the fear surrunding Bond, James Bond’s future.
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