Amazon Captures Bond and a Producer on Producing

2025-03-03

In this special episode of No Film School, GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman dive into the Amazon acquisition of James Bond, what it means for the future of the franchise, and whether Bond spin-offs are inevitable. They also discuss IP fatigue and how streamers are expanding globally to combat it. Then, filmmaker Elle Roth-Brunet joins the show to talk about her unconventional journey into producing, demystifying indie film financing, and why tough conversations are essential in production.In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Jason Hellerman, and Elle R...

In this special episode of No Film School, GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman dive into the Amazon acquisition of James Bond, what it means for the future of the franchise, and whether Bond spin-offs are inevitable. They also discuss IP fatigue and how streamers are expanding globally to combat it. Then, filmmaker Elle Roth-Brunet joins the show to talk about her unconventional journey into producing, demystifying indie film financing, and why tough conversations are essential in production.

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Jason Hellerman, and Elle Roth-Brunet discuss:

The history of James Bond’s ownership and what Amazon’s billion-dollar deal changes
The risk of oversaturation—is Bond headed toward Marvel/Star Wars territory?
The global market shift that keeps franchise fatigue at bay
How Bond’s new freedom could lure filmmakers like Christopher Nolan
Elle Roth-Brunet’s journey from marketing to film producing
The reality of indie film financing—debt vs. equity vs. deficit financing
The importance of clear producer roles in today’s industry

Guests:

Elle Roth-Brunet – Producer of I Really Love My Husband and indie film advocate.

Memorable Quotes:

“James Bond movies are always events. But if you keep pouring water into the gin bottle, at some point, it’s just water.” (04:51)
“Filmmaking is 95% business and 5% creative. If you don’t understand the business, you’re not in control of your own movie.” (56:39)
“The biggest lesson I learned? Hard conversations lead to breakthroughs. If you avoid them, you stall progress.” (22:45)
“Boat Day was the most stressful day in theory—and then ended up being the easiest. The day we didn’t stress over? That was the hardest.” (26:33)

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