A New 007 Lawsuit Setback Has Taken Shape, And I'm Afraid This Could Delay Bond 26 Indefinitely (Again)
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Though we're not seeing much movement from the 007 series on the 2025 movie schedule, there are still some pretty major pieces in play that have kept James Bond 26 on everyone's mind. Unfortunately, one of those developments was a 007 lawsuit posing 'mortal danger' to the franchise at large. Through a new update on the matter, it appears that a swift resolution isn't in the cards any time soon - and the result could be an indefinite pause on what seemed to be an ambitious start to the next era of Bond.
Per reporting from The Guardian, the legal case brought forth by property Josef Kleindienst has seen a request from Danjaq, LLC to delay proceedings in the name of building a stronger case to maintain key trademarks. More specifically, the James Bond name, the catchphrase that makes great use of said moniker, and the 00-designation are on the line.
As Kleindienst claims that UK and EU copyright law allows those signature elements to be examined 'after five years of 'non-use,'' this is a pretty big deal. Danjaq, LLC is the corporate entity is a vital player in all things 007, as it both co-owns the James Bond copyright (with Amazon-MGM Studios), as well as oversees the merchandising (with EON Productions.)
Admittedly Amazon-MGM's supposed plans for Bond 26 feel stymied by this legal action. That, in turn, leaves me with a feeling we could see yet another chapter in the history of James Bond delays.
Can you even imagine a movie where James Bond can't even use his name to introduce himself? Failing that, there's no number to fall back on; which already caused some confusion in No Time to Die's reassignment of 007 to Nomi (Lashana Lynch).
The potential loss of these trademarks could be the greatest legal hiccup in Bond history since the rights battle over SPECTRE. That gave us some interesting substitutes like Quantum, but also yielded the infamous Never Say Never Again. Even in that case, James Bond was able to use his name, albeit with some stipulations.
Not calling an obvious stand in for Blofeld by his name is one thing, but not being able to call James Bond by his own name is a greater disaster. That basically leaves you with something akin to The Simpsons' classic Bond parody (or rather Bont parody) shown below:
For a legacy franchise that's trying to move forward into a new chapter, this feels like a nightmare. Without this challenge being handled once and for all, it's assumed that Amazon-MGM Studios and its producing team of Amy Pascal and David Heyman can't truly move forward on a new film.
Also, this could be a devastating blow to IO Interactive's Project 007 video game, which is currently in development. But on the bright side, if the team behind an aborted unofficial remake of For Your Eyes Only with Ryan Reynolds still wants in, there may be a way forward... provided they use a different name, of course.
As the potential record-setting 007 gap between No Time to Die's 2021 release and Bond 26 continues, the fate of Commander Bond once more hangs in the balance of business deals. So if anyone wants to join me over at the saddest martini bar known as the '007 Waiting Room,' feel free. Though depending on how these legal challenges shake out, we may need to change the name out of safety. How about 'The Tuxedo Room?'
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