Advertisement for an Eon-sanctioned 1994 James Bond convention
Thirty years ago, Eon Productions sanctioned a James Bond convention held in Los Angeles. Creation Entertainment, a company that held Star Trek conventions, was hired to produce it.
At the time, a long hiatus between Bond films was unheard of. Eon (and its studio partner, MGM) was restarting the film series. Eon wanted to revive fan interest. Creation would produce a follow-up event in fall 1995 in New York City.
Today, long gaps between Bond films are normal. The new normal, you might say.
The 1989-95 gap of more than six years remains the longest pause in the film series. But the 2015-2021 pause between SPECTRE and No Time to Die gave it a run for its money.
Earlier this month, the blog published a post with a "back of the envelope" calculation that Bond 26 might not be out until 2029.
In the comments section, a reader protested I was overly pessimistic. He said 2027 was more likely. He wanted me to bet $100 who was right.
The thing is, if the reader is correct, that would be yet another six-year gap between Bond films.
Back in 1994 and 1995, Eon felt the need to revive interest in Bond.
Today? Not so much, especially in the U.S. market. Way back in 2012, Eon boss Barbara Broccoli told the Los Angeles Times that Bond movies wouldn't be coming out as frequently as they once did.
"Sometimes there are internal pressures from a studio who want you to make it in a certain time frame or for their own benefit," she said. "We have to keep the deadlines within our own time limits."
Since then, the time limits have lengthened. With the 1989-95 and 2015-2021 there were factors such as an Eon-MGM legal battle and COVID-19. Today? The gap is between Eon and MGM (now owned by Amazon). But there are no legal fights. No pandemics.
Eon's top priority, at least for the moment, is an Othello movie starring former Bond actor Daniel Craig. Is the Amazon-owned MGM happy? There's no way to tell.
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