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Amazon announces search for next James Bond is underway, as Hollywood casting choices come under scrutiny
The James Bond franchise is one of the most popular and iconic film series in entertainment industry history. It’s almost unquestionably the most unique franchise in Hollywood.
Starting in 1962, every “official” James Bond film has been produced by one company: Eon Films. And incredibly, Eon has remained under the control of one family, starting with Albert Broccoli. But Broccoli’s daughter, Barbara, unexpectedly decided to sell control of the Bond properties, character, and future film developments to Amazon and MGM studios.
After years of creative control and stability from one company, Bond is now under the auspices of a major film studio. Run by a technology company more well known for the speed of its delivery services and web services platform.
Unsurprisingly, this is a major turning point for one of the most important characters and franchises in the business. The latest film in the series, “No Time to Die,” had a stunning ending that closed the book on the Daniel Craig-version of the character. That was also five years ago.
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Amazon’s since announced they’re working on the next installment, which will be helmed by director Denis Villeneuve. Get this right, and it can set up more than a decade of films. Get it wrong, and the Bond series might follow in the footsteps of mishandled intellectual property like “Star Wars” and be greeted with apathy and disinterest.
Villeneuve was an outstanding choice, with an exceptional resume. “Arrival,” “Sicario” and the “Dune” series have been critically and commercially successful. And more importantly, enjoyable to watch. But equally as important as the director is finding the right actor to play the legendary Bond character. That’s where there remains considerable uncertainty.
And Amazon/MGM recently addressed it in perhaps the most unusual way possible. By announcing they’re searching for a new actor with, well, zero details.
“The search for the next James Bond is underway,” their post on X reads. “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
Not exactly dripping with information, though it does align with reports that actor Tom Francis had auditioned for the role. Francis is 26, allowing for a lengthy runway for new movies. Several other rumored candidates include Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jacob Elordi, among others.
Which raises the most important question: will Amazon mess this up?
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Casting decisions have become increasingly contentious recently, as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has come in for criticism for several choices he made. Obviously, political pressure and Hollywood’s ideological leanings could lead to a total rethink of the character to take it further away from what book author Ian Fleming intended.
Announcing the start of the casting process is exciting, in a way, since the gap between films is already trending toward the largest in franchise history. Even if the character is cast now, a release is years away. Between the time it takes to ramp up production, shoot what will surely be a large scale film, complete post-production and marketing, then target a specific release date in a busy movie-going season, even a 2027 release date seems unlikely.
More important than dates though, is that Amazon stay true to the character. Stay true to the intention of the series and the author. The last thing the industry needs, as it fights for survival, is yet another “retelling” or “modern update” of a legendary property.
Hopefully Amazon has learned the lesson Disney and other studios taught them. Quite literally, there are billions of dollars and decades of future films at stake.
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Bill Belichick accuses CBS of deception in 2025 that involved girlfriend Jordon Hudson
Eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick accused CBS of being deceitful in a 2025 interview that generated headlines when his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, appeared to shut down a question about their relationship.
“I thought that the interview I had with them was done very deceptively,” the football legend said on a new episode of “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” which will be available Tuesday morning. “I’ve asked for the transcript from them, and they won’t give it to me.”
During a 2025 interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Hudson said Belichick was “not talking about this” when he was asked by anchor Tony Dokoupil about how she and the New England Patriots icon met.
Hudson, who was watching the interview from a side corner, reportedly interrupted several times and even stormed off at one point, delaying the interview by around 30 minutes. The interview as aired on CBS fueled much criticism directed towards Hudson.
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Belichick responded to critics by saying he agreed to speak with “CBS Sunday Morning” about his memoir “The Art of Winning — Lessons from My Life in Football” and added that it was communicated that the interview would focus solely on the book. He said his girlfriend was not “deflecting” the relationship question but rather attempting to steer the interview to remain on topic. He claimed the network was creating a “false narrative” by publicizing “selectively edited clips.”
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“Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021,” he said in a statement at the time of the controversy.
On “Hang Out,” Belichick told Fox News host Sean Hannity “couldn’t believe” the journalistic conduct from CBS, which had been regarded in its long history as a trusted news network.
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“Kind of confused about… some of the things that they say they are, but I don’t really see them living up to the trust that they… talk about,” he said.
The relationship between Belichick, 74, and Hudson, a 25-year-old former beauty pageant contestant, first became public in 2024.
Belichick pointed out to “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” that criticism over CBS News’ editing and alleged hesitance to provide interview transcripts are not isolated. CBS has faced similar controversy in the past, including interviews with former Vice President Kamala Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“They’ve done that with others, I’m not really sure what that policy is,” he said.
“As we’ve seen recently, there have been more editing problems, and they go back to, over a couple of years, multiple examples of editing,” Belichick added.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS News for comment. At the time of the uproar over the Belichick broadcast last year, CBS defended the interview.
“When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview,” CBS’ statement read. “There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed.”
Don’t miss Hannity’s full conversation with Belichick, including his response to his shocking Hall of Fame snub, when the new episode of “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” becomes available Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.
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Dana White says gnats at Trump’s White House Rose Garden dinner raised concerns for outdoor UFC events
Dana White says an exclusive dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House Rose Garden came with one unexpected problem: gnats.
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The UFC boss revealed this week that a recent visit to the newly reopened Rose Garden quickly turned into a harsh lesson about the challenges of hosting outdoor events on the East Coast, something that could become especially relevant as conversations continue around UFC’s plans for the America 250 celebration in June.
Speaking with Boardroom, White said the bugs were impossible to ignore during the dinner, which immediately got him thinking about UFC events set for 1600 Penn.
“Another problem that I always think about, especially on the East Coast, bugs,” White admitted.
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“President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago and he invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that were flying around … I’m like, ‘Holy s–t.’ As soon as I got on the plane, I called my head production and said, ‘Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight.’”
White, a longtime Trump ally and friend, said the experience immediately shifted his concern toward production tied to outdoor fight cards.
Rather than focusing on the White House setting itself, White said his attention quickly turned toward how bugs could affect lighting, camera shots and the overall broadcast presentation during a live pay-per-view event.
White said in the past, regarding America 250:
“If you are a fan of the UFC, and especially if you have never been to Washington, D.C., we’re going to give away about 85,000 tickets and there’s a process you have to register for tickets and they’re free, but you should come to Washington, D.C., that week, the week of the fight. We’re going to be doing all kinds of things in D.C. for fans and it’s really a cool city for probably most people have never been and if you’re a UFC fan this is absolutely, positively the time to come to D.C.”
If the UFC eventually stages a major outdoor card, in Washington, D.C. as part of America 250 celebrations, it sounds like insect control may become part of the production planning.
Send us your thoughts: [email protected] / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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