James Bond Film News Announcement

Since 2016 this platform has been dedicated to delivering all the latest news and quality updates for the upcoming James Bond film. What began as a small passion project on Twitter under the username @Bond25Film, soon grew into its own recognisable brand with 1000s of followers spread across more than 100 countries.

In 2023, with a renewed sense of passion for the development of Bond 26 this then expanded into the James Bond Film News (JBFN) platform with a website and additional social channels on Instagram and Facebook.

Now as we arrive at the 10th anniversary in August 2026, the difficult decision has been made to end JBFN. This announcement may not come as a surprise to some, as we’ve gradually slowed down our reporting cycle over the past year. The reasons are plenty and are outlined below. We would like to thank all the journalists, fan clubs, bloggers, authorities, businesses and websites for their shared trust over the years. But most importantly, we would like to thank every single James Bond fan out there who made this incredible 10-year journey all worth it. THANK YOU.

First and foremost, this decision is a direct result of the Broccoli family handing over complete creative control of the James Bond franchise. Amazon bought the rights in February 2025 and with this ended the 60-year dynasty established by Albert. R. Broccoli. Unlike for the surprising majority of Bond fans, this was an immediate deal-breaker when it came to my own personal interest in the future of the franchise. As time passed, the passion only weakened further. Passion was the original inspiration for this platform. Passion was what kept me going when the news was slow. Passion was what had me excited for the next Bond film. Now without that passion, I’ve little interest in watching Bond 26 and cannot reason to continue the JBFN platform.

While it’s pleasing to see that most Bond fans reacted well with the sale and are looking forward to the next instalment, I’m at a loss as to how that can be. From my own perspective, the franchise was inseparable from the Broccoli family and EON Productions. Even with Harry Saltzman taking charge for a few early films, there was a direct throughline between the production of Dr. No and No Time To Die. Every Bond film was connected to them. The idea that Bond 26 will neither be produced by the Broccolis, nor any other industry family dampens any connection I could have with what’s coming next. The final insult was that it was tech giant Amazon that bought the rights. A company only driven by profits, reliant on its stock value and riddled with countless scandals. The human touch and their passion in all future Bond films just won’t be present.

To put the significance of the sale on the decision to close this platform into perspective, if this was the sole issue then JBFN would still end regardless of the following factors.

The emergence of AI and LLMs in 2023 revolutionised content creation almost overnight. Back in 2016 few could have guessed just how easy it would become to write copy, design graphics or create videos. However, it’s this ease that has turned the internet upside down. Everyone is now creating content. Even those who used to do everything themselves have fallen into the trap of using AI. In some cases, it’s now impossible to use software without leveraging AI to some degree.

AI and the convenience gained from it goes completely against the ethos of JBFN, which has always focused on quality and has never used any AI in any of its content. Whether it be brainstorming ideas for an original article, an image shared on socials or the text you’re currently reading.

The problem with continuing in a world of AI is twofold: choosing to go without AI will have the platform surpassed in content volume produced by others. At the same time, most followers will still assume that AI is being used because it’s the norm. All the time invested into research and writing news articles is no longer be appreciated when convenience is championed over quality.

AI is also to blame for the degradation of social media. JBFN started on Twitter, which had remained the primary channel to this day, but the changes made to the algorithm by the platform’s new ownership ruined its usability… Blue checkmarks have little meaning, bots spam replies with slop and interactions with real people are rare.

Another factor that influenced the decision was the upkeep that came with running a platform such as JBFN. Each news piece led to hours of work and follow up, due to the expansion to the website and additional social channels. There was always a shortage of time particularly as life became busier and personal commitments increased over the years. With my passion fading after the sale, life’s priorities shifted and writing an original article, posting a newsletter or even sharing the news regrettably became a burdensome.

However, as you are well aware the news cycle for Bond 26 has been incredibly sparse. In fact, more time has passed between JBFN’s website going live and today, than between the foundation of the original Twitter account and the start of filming on No Time To Die. The only big news has been Denis Villeneuve’s appointment and the Broccoli-Amazon deal. The platform has no purpose without news and it became difficult to justify the costs. The irony is not lost on me that both too little news and too much news contributed to the shutdown of JBFN.

So in the end it was the attritional combination of more demanding upkeep, new priorities and the toughening struggle against AI that contributed to JBFN’s closure, but ultimately it was the departure of the Broccoli family that made the decision final.

The past decade has been an incredibly rewarding journey and I truly couldn’t have done it for this long without you all. I’m proud of the work done for No Time To Die’s production and glad that I took a shot at expanding the platform. I’ve no regrets. I think it’s rather fitting to end JBFN just as Daniel Craig’s era and the Broccoli’s dynasty have come to a close.

Thank you.

Russell Frankel

N.B. In the coming days and weeks this website (jamesbondfilmnews.com) will be closed down along with Instagram (/jamesbondfilmnews) and Facebook (/JamesBondFilmNews). The Twitter account (/BondFilmNews) will remain as a remnant for the sake of posterity.