The decades-long popularity of the James Bond franchise means it’s closely guarded by its stewards, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer laid down a single stipulation for 007 First Light‘s version of the character. MGM, now owned by Amazon, has held the distribution rights for every Eon Productions Bond film under its United Artists label, and has largely controlled the direction of the franchise alongside former Eon producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who relinquished creative control to Amazon MGM earlier this year.
James Bond is a coveted multimedia character whose image has been more carefully curated since the beginning of Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role with 2006’s Casino Royale. It’s been a long time since a Bond video game was developed, and even longer since there was an especially good one. It’s not surprising to hear MGM had a certain request for the character, but the specifics of it are admittedly a little head-scratching.
MGM Asked IO Not To Make James Bond “A Killing Machine”
But That’s Like, 007’s Whole Thing
007 First Light is being developed by IO Interactive, and the studio’s franchise director, Jonathan Lacaille, spoke to VGC (via GameSpot) about MGM’s hand in the game. The production company had one request of IO’s 007: “Don’t make him a killing machine.” It sounds like IO has otherwise had a lot of creative freedom in its interpretation of the character. Lacaille said:
“[MGM] considered every idea we’ve had. There weren’t many massive nos or anything like that. It was always more like, ‘Yeah, but, we could do it this way, or…’ So it’s always been very collaborative, and a lot of good feedback, because they’ve been working with the franchise for so long as well, so it was great to have them so involved in the project, right? I’m sure it was a fun ride for them as well.”
MGM’s relatively hands-off approach has resulted in 007 First Light featuring the youngest version of James Bond to grace the screen, a significant departure from Ian Fleming’s original version of the literary character, who is typically a very experienced naval officer turned MI6 agent. The company’s request is a bit odd, though, considering the capacity to kill – and do so heartlessly – is a defining trait of MI6’s 00 agents.
This is a focal point of the Casino Royale film, which shares a rare look at pre-00 Bond with First Light. The opening scenes of the film even arguably establish the character as a “killing machine;” Bond violently eliminates a contact whom a high-ranking MI6 member is leaking state secrets to, before the MI6 section chief is himself coldly gunned down by Bond. Those two kills are requisite for earning 00 status – killing is baked into the character’s profession.
James Bond is the gold standard of the spy movie genre, but 007 has long since become more of an assassin than a spy, courtesy of the 00 license to kill. Even Craig’s Bond, which began by exploring what killing does to one’s soul in Casino Royale, culminates in No Time To Die‘s incredible, single-shot stairwell scene, which alone sees 007 kill at least a dozen goons in under three minutes.
Bond can be excused for killing many of the film series’ major villains, who aren’t going to allow themselves to be taken alive, but most installments see Bond racking up kills in the double digits.
007 First Light Request Still Makes Some Sense
Bond Can Avoid Needless Violence
While the request from MGM fails to fully realize the character’s proclivity for taking lives, there are still a few favorable ways it can be interpreted. The obvious is that MGM doesn’t want its character to fall victim to a common video game trope: the hero gunning down thousands of effectively faceless enemies in pursuit of their goal. IO Interactive was likely chosen to take on the James Bond license because its Hitman series demonstrates a capacity for subterfuge and social stealth, and aren’t outright action games.
It’s also possible that the request came after it had already been decided that 007 First Light would be an origin story. Becoming a 00 traditionally requires two kills in cold blood, executed in the line of duty. Casino Royale shows that these can be on M’s orders, but the trailer for 007 First Light suggests that this Bond’s two kills were improvised while on assignment in Iceland.
MGM’s stipulation could be an effort to evoke a similar character arc as Casino Royale: a young Bond gradually becomes jaded as he leaves bodies in his wake and is worn down by the world of international espionage. Only time will tell how much violence is featured in 007 First Light, but if MGM’s one request of IO Interactive is any indication, it may lean heavily into the franchise’s spycraft instead of the action set pieces.
007 First Light
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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IO Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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IO Interactive
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
