James Bond Amazon Deal & Berlinale: International Insider

Good afternoon Insiders, welcome welcome, Max Goldbart here. Big news this week with the shaken-not-stirred revelation that was the Amazon-Broccoli deal. We’ve all that and more below. Sign up here.

Bond Shocker!

The name’s Bezos… Jeff Bezos: Much like a Bond mission, the 007 news was kept top secret. Until yesterday, when a thunderbolt was unleashed through the industry via the news that longtime James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are relinquishing control of their beloved spy franchise and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios. Chatter about strains in the relationship between Broccoli-Wilson and Jeff Bezos’ behemoth had long been in the ether and only a few weeks ago the Wall Street Journal published a deep-dive titled ‘James Bond Outdueled Goldfinger and Dr. No. Can He Win a Battle With Amazon?’, which publicized these difficulties. But this week’s mega-deal, which our U.S. colleagues valued at around $1B, will see the family stewards cede creative oversight of their storied franchise after many, many decades. Details on what makes up the new circa-$1B deal is unknown at this time, but both sides called the new set up a “joint venture.” Social media and industry reporting was alive with speculation over what Amazon MGM will do now that it has the keys to the classy spy. The world is Amazon’s oyster — TV franchises, spin-offs, gameshows (the sole one so far being the slightly odd Brian Cox-helmed competition format Road to a Million) and much more will likely be on the table. Perhaps the world is not enough. With the ink barely dry, Bezos was already canvassing fans about who should play 007 on Insta, a sure-fire sign of what’s to come and still one of the burning casting questions of today. The news feels sad in many senses, as one of the world’s best-known franchises loses its blockbuster-focused custodians and ‘Old Hollywood’ gives way to ‘New Hollywood’. If you’re going to read one piece on the Bond saga, make it this from Breaking Baz, which reports on one confidante who received the news likening it to receiving a call “about a death in the family.” “Just don’t shake it up and stir it too much, otherwise the whole thing will shatter,” Baz writes. Amen to that.

London Calling (Again)

What’s on offer? Global execs are descending on the English capital in their droves as we go to press, in anticipation for next week’s London TV Screenings and the first ever MIP London. We’ve been busy bringing you the latest. This will undoubtedly be the biggest TV gathering London has seen in February, given that the Screenings has grown again in size and MIP London is taking place for the first time, with Cannes’ MIPTV coming to an end last year. There is a buzz around the event, and a fair few Americans in town, pushing on from a horrendous start to the year following the LA Wildfires, which we spotlighted via this analysis on Tuesday. A sense of optimism emanates from sources going into the Screenings that I’ve been speaking with. While there is no doubt a little less money around in the market, the feeling is that the TV industry is the stablest it’s been for a little while — and sometimes stability is everything. It will be intriguing to hear how people report back. On offer from the dozens of exhibiting distribs are new Gillian Anderson series Trespasses, the buzzy Suits spin-off and a Kevin Costner doc — what’s not to like? At the same time, MIP London will kick off at the Savoy with an anticipated plus-2,000 delegates and a dose of star power in the shape of David Beckham and Netflix content boss Bela Bajaria. We will be all over town, bringing you the latest deals, panel reports, analysis and chatter. Check out all our coverage so far over here.

Netflix’s Mexican Gold Rush

Ted meet Claudia: Reaching out to neighboring nations at a time when the U.S. President is more keen on building walls and deploying tariffs, Netflix has pledged to spend a whopping $1B on Mexican production over the next four years. The streamer has been investing heavily in original fare out of Latin America and is keen to highlight the benefit to local film and TV industries and wider economies, which comes at a time when Netflix has been pulling away from its competitors globally. The news was revealed by those at the very top: Ted Sarandos headed to Mexico to meet President Claudia Sheinbaum. At a press conference, the Netflix boss said: “President Sheinbaum, at Netflix we share your vision of a vibrant, prosperous Mexico full of growth and opportunity. And we want to play our part in making it a reality.” Sarandos pointed out that 10 years ago, the first Netflix show to be produced outside of the U.S. had been made in Mexico — Club de Cuervos — and he said the nation “holds a special place in our history.” Warm words at a time when broader relations are strained. We’ll be keeping a track of what comes from the windfall.

Berlin Back In The Headlines

Contentious politics once again: After a second week of buzzy premieres like Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon and The Ice Tower starring Marion Cotillard, the Berlin Film Festival concludes in the headlines once again attached to some contentious politics. This time, it follows a speech by Hong Kong filmmaker Jun Li, who accused the German administration and its cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, of being complicit in “apartheid, genocide, brutal killing and erasure of the Palestinian people.” Li is now being investigated by local police and there have been calls from one prominent politician for the festival to be defunded. It’s a tough one for the Berlinale, as the speech only became a national talking point when it was posted on X. Zac was at a Forum Expanded screening that same weekend, where he says similar sentiments were shared by a filmmaker. The Berlinale has always been a political festival — on opening night, new fest head Tricia Tuttle joined a red carpet protest in support of an Israeli actor who was kidnapped by Hamas. Moving forward, the question is whether the fest can protect filmmakers and maintain its reputation as a place for engaged and impassioned discussion. This year’s closing ceremony is on Saturday. Last year’s closing sparked a bitter, months-long political debate in Germany and soured what had been a historic Golden Bear win for Mati Diop. Check back with us this weekend to see how this year’s ceremony unravels.

John Balson Inquest

A sad day as questions remain: I headed to the town of Maidstone yesterday to cover the inquest of John Balson, the TV producer who tragically took his own life last year only a few weeks after he had been working on a Channel 4 true crime series. The three-hour hearing spotlighted the mental and physical anguish John had experienced in the weeks leading up to his death, and, alarmingly, revealed just how many health professionals had been given this information in what felt at times a damning indictment of a British health system that was not joined up enough to prevent tragedy. John’s brave mother Margaret and wife Yumeno attended, and sat stoically throughout, even permitting Balson’s final, heart-wrenching letter to be read out to the court. It was a sobering day. The coroner’s conclusion of suicide was expected, but a Channel 4 report into the circumstances around his death is yet to report back and questions remain. There is also the matter of whether the show he was working on before he died, In the Footsteps of Killers, will air. John’s death led to a great deal of introspection around the dangers of overwork in factual TV and this will no doubt continue long into 2025. Our report from the day’s events can be found here.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: The Cannes and Venice lineups are starting to take shape. Could we be seeing Tom Cruise on the Croisette?

🌶️ More spice: A spin-off of Canadian smash Mayday: Air Disaster is in the works.

🌶️ A bit more spice: The long-gestating Red Sonja reboot has been sold to the UK, where it is due for release “later this year” after two years in post.

🖼️ Slate: From Australia’s Stan, featuring big swings starring Lydia West and Liv Hewson. Jesse first with this one.

🏆 Awards latest: The Brutalist and Conclave shared the BAFTAs spoils, and Breaking Baz was there to witness things.

📊 The numbers: Streamer Max launched well in Southeast Asia as VoD revs shot up 14%, Liz reported.

🙏 ¿Por favor?: Jake went behind the scenes of the viral story of the month — Temptation Island’s Montoya.

🪓 Axed: Neighbours, for the second time in three years, as Amazon revealed the Australian soap is being “rested” indefinitiely.

🍿 Box office: Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide, surpassing Inside Out 2.

🎥 Trail: For Palestine Comedy Club, as Palestinians chase laughter in the face of conflict.

This week’s International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock. Zac Ntim contributed.