Spider-Man Producer Poised To Run James Bond Franchise (Is That a Good Thing?)

Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal is reportedly one of the people being eyed by Amazon MGM Studios to run the James Bond franchise. Puck reports Amy Pascal and David Heyman are “in talks” with Amazon MGM Studios about guiding James Bond, though no deal can be signed or become official until Amazon closes the deal to acquire creative control of 007 from producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. February brought the news that Amazon was working to gain creative control of James Bond from Broccoli and Wilson, who had previously been reluctant to give up their power and influence.

Pascal was previously the head of Sony until she stepped down in 2015. She was a large part of Sony’s Spider-Man movies, and while the reception to them has been mostly positive, it wasn’t until Sony teamed with Marvel Studios that the Spider-Man movies really took off. Tom Holland is the face of the latest Spider-Man trilogy, and a fourth movie in the franchise is now in development.

David Heyman is the other name up for the role of heading 007 at Amazon. He has a background on the Harry Potter franchise, including the Fantastic Beast spinoffs, so Heyman is no stranger to guiding big-budget franchises. His resume also includes the sci-fi movie Gravity and Paddington films.

[RELATED: If Amazon Is Taking Over James Bond, They Need to Avoid This Massive Mistake]

Some fans will be hesitant to believe that Amy Pascal leading James Bond at Amazon is a good thing. Pascal was part of the big Sony hack of 2014 that revealed private conversations between Pascal and producer Scott Rudin, where Pascal allegedly made racist comments about then-President Barack Obama. Other fans also like to attribute the success of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films more to Marvel Studios’ influence and its connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, rather than Pascal’s role as a producer.

“Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios when the news of the James Bond shakeup came in February.

“We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy commented on the company gaining creative control of James Bond during an interview with CNBC. “We don’t have a plan yet on what the next theme is going to be,” Jassy said. “We haven’t – nobody’s written the story yet. But we will take great care. It’s an amazing franchise that we care a lot about and that we expect to develop over a long period of time.”

Do you want to see Amy Pascal or David Heyman get the reins of the James Bond franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!