Longlegs and The Monkey director Osgood Perkins is shaken and stirred after a Reddit AMA (via Indiewire) in which a fan asked if he’d be interested in directing a James Bond movie. “Are you open to directing a Bond movie/trilogy? If so, who would you cast as your version of Bond?” Perkins quickly replied, “No, because fuck Jeff Bezos.”

The vibes of Osgood’s response to the question are definitive, as the in-demand filmmaker made no bones about vocalizing his distaste for the Amazon figurehead. Perkins’s comments follow a spat of confusion regarding the future of the James Bond franchise. In late February, Amazon MGM Studios and longtime Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced a shift in leadership as they ceded creative control over to Amazon. Under the new deal, Wilson, Broccoli, and Amazon would share co-ownership of Bond, with Amazon deciding the franchise’s fate and direction. While Perkins is not in the running to helm a Bond project, demand for his talents is on the rise as movies like Longlegs and The Monkey continue to resonate with audiences.

Another name floated as a candidate for a 007 project is Conclave filmmaker Edward Berger. While speaking with Variety‘s Marc Malkin on the 2025 Oscars red carpet, Berger said his interest in getting involved with the Bond franchise has shifted after the exchange of ownership.

“Barbara Broccoli is no longer doing it and she is at the heart of this project, so I think it’s something different,” Berger said when asked if he’d helm a Bond movie. “I don’t know. Things have changed. We will certainly miss her very much.”

Berger’s comments indicate an about-face regarding his interest in the Bond franchise. Previously, Berger said he was “100% interested in Bond” when Broccoli was involved. However, “now it’s a different equation. I don’t know what the future is going to look like. I am going to think about it if anyone calls me, but Barbara is at the heart of this. If she is no longer there it becomes a different thing.”

007’s fate has dangled from the edge of a creative cliff for what feels like a long time, with actors like Henry Cavill, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy, Dan Stevens, Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hiddleston, and more rumored to become the international superspy. Meanwhile, Amazon remains silent about its plans for the iconic character, though I’m sure they’re mulling it over daily. You don’t leave that kind of money on the table for long. Whatever they decide, expectations are through the roof, and online blowback is alive and well. I hope they sort something out soon. The longer they wait, the more anxious fans become.

Who could lead a new era of James Bond stories? Should the new direction be more movies or a television series? Both? Let us know in the comments section below.