BOND MAY NOT BE BACK AS WE KNOW HIM, JIM

James Bond was, up until a day ago, always produced by the Broccoli family - all of the many canonical films since the early 1960s... for better and worse. Their control was legendary, and often, usually, yielded good or superior results. Their choices for Bond have been always good or better, a few times inspired, and their attempts to select villains who had won Oscars, was notable.

They also tended to be loyal to British writers, directors, and actors, and kept the franchise stable, ongoing, and reliable. The worst James Bond is still worth a telly rewatch on a lazy Sunday afternoon; the greatest are some of the best action movies ever made.

Now, it is in the hands of Amazon MGM - an American company not known for its quality control... it has hits and misses, but plenty of cash.

Fans are anxious; I am, as a fan, very concerned. I am unsure the new films will remain firmly-rooted in the canon, or be as British - with all the eccentricities and potential flaws that entails.

Bond is billion dollar business... but it was also curated carefully, with love. It could very easily be dumbed down. It would only take a few missteps to ruin the Franchise.

It may be treasured as a gold standard British property, or it may be looted and destroyed. The next casting will be deeply important. The new actor must be British (or Irish) - Idris Elba or Tom Holland or Robert Pattinson would be great choices, or Cillian Murphy or Benedict Cumberbatch, if quirkier options were to prevail. It all depends on whether they reboot to a Young Man Bond, or go for the usual middle-aged Bond.

They should get a top-level director - ideally Spielberg. Nolan, or Tarantino. We don't want it as a TV series, please, and we want it to remain world-class. This is no time to kill the greatest spy brand ever.

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