James Bond. Absence was the appeal.
Amazon paid billions to keep Bond. The trouble is that his power was in disappearing, and nothing rare survives being everywhere.
THE GIST ON JAMES BOND: "Absence Was the Appeal"
What is happening to James Bond?
James Bond is being recast right now: British, male, late 20s. Amazon is keeping the character exactly as he is. It's the universe around him that is a different story, because Amazon paid billions to keep him around.
Why did Bond stay rare for 60 years?
For 60 years, Bond was a film character. Full stop. The producers, the Broccolis and Michael G Wilson, made 25 films over six decades. They said no to a TV series, a spin-off and a Marvel-style cinematic universe.
At the end of every film you read, James Bond will return, and he disappeared until the next one. That absence was the main part of the appeal.
What has Amazon done with him?
Last year they sold creative control to Amazon for a billion dollars. Amazon wanted the Bond universe that had been blocked for 60 years. The video game 007 First Light came out in May and sold 2.7 million copies in its first week. A Bond reality show is already running, and two spin-off series are in development.
Why is that a problem?
The character stays, but the absence is gone. Bond came back and it was an event. Ubiquity is the opposite. When he's in a game, a series, a spin-off and a film, nothing about him feels rare, and so nothing feels special.
Amazon bought Bond to multiply him, and multiplying something rare kills it. Disney paid four billion dollars for Star Wars and now look at it. You almost want to avoid it.
It cuts deeper here. For 60 years Bond was one of the few places Britain saw itself: sophisticated, dangerous, a bit ridiculous, and ours. Turn that into weekly content and it stops. What are we left with?
Does more Bond make Bond better?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
How many Bond films have been made?
25 over six decades, according to the producers' record. They refused a TV series, a spin-off and a cinematic universe.
What did Amazon get?
Creative control, sold last year for a billion dollars, which brings the Bond universe that had been blocked for 60 years.
Why does Huw think it is a mistake?
Bond's power was in disappearing. Multiply something rare and it stops feeling special.
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
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