The world of James Bond is hitting the streaming world much sooner than you think.
Amazon Prime Video has greenlit its first TV show based on the legendary British spy, 007’s Road to a Million, a Bond-style round-the-world race.
The eight-part series is being produced by British 72 Films (“The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty”, “All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur”) and Bond Guardians and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in association with MGM Television.
Sources tell Variety that the project has been in the works at Prime Video for about four years, well before the MGM deal was finalized, and it’s taking place separately from any shows yet to come out of the deal. The e-commerce giant closed its $8.5 billion deal for MGM last week, with the James Bond franchise credited as a strong driving force behind the acquisition.
Production on 007’s Road to a Million will begin later this year and the new show will launch on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories. Casting is ongoing and applicants are encouraged to submit entries.
The show will pit contestants in a global adventure for a chance to win a £1 million (US$1.3 million) cash prize. Filmed on many of the historic locations featured in the seminal Bond films, the ‘Theatrical Format’ will be a test of intelligence and endurance. In addition to overcoming physical obstacles, participants – who compete in teams of two – must correctly answer questions hidden in various locations around the world to advance to the next challenge.
Dom Bird, the former Channel 4 executive who joined MGM in 2019 to oversee the international unscripted entity, will oversee the series on behalf of the studio. Executive producers include David Glover, CEO of 72 Films, as well as Wilson and Broccoli for EON Productions and Barry Poznick and Mark Burnett for MGM.
The show joins a string of British unscripted originals on Prime Video, including Clarkson’s Farm and All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur. Other British originals include dramas The Rig, The Devil’s Hour, Jungle, Lovestruck High, Anasi Boys and The Power. Prime Video’s UK team is led by Dan Grabiner.
Speaking at French TV drama festival Series Mania this week, Georgia Brown, head of Amazon Studios Europe, stressed the importance of finding super-local shows outside of Europe. However, with 007’s Road to a Million, Prime Video clearly has global ambitions for the series despite the production being UK based
72 Films’ Glover told Variety, “I first had this idea over three years ago. Dan Grabiner and the UK Originals team took it to a whole other level. Working with Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and the Bond franchise is a privilege and a dream come true.”
The Bond-themed Prime Video show comes during a transition period for the franchise, which concluded Daniel Craig’s acclaimed run last year with No Time to Die. Broccoli and Wilson must now find a new actor to take on the role and help continue to find ways to keep the woman spy relevant in a changing world.
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