Former James Bond actor George Lazenby was pictured out in California the same day the bombshell news dropped that Amazon had taken creative control of the 007 franchise.
The Australian star, 85, was seen going for a careful stroll in Santa Monica in the sunshine while using his walking frame on Thursday.
Lazenby – who announced his retirement in an emotional statement in July – was dressed casually in a red fleece-lined hoodie over a blue polo shirt and grey jogging bottoms and dark trainers.
He also wore a navy baseball cap from the 2024 Wimbledon tennis championship to shield himself from the sun, as he walked alongside a companion, his strapping 6’ 2’’ height still a giveaway as to his identity, over 55 years on from his career-defining role.
The Universal Soldier actor was a model and former car salesman before becoming the second person to portray James Bond onscreen after Sir Sean Connery left the role in 1968.
Lazenby appeared in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service the following year, his only movie as 007, after his then-agent reportedly convinced him that Bond would fall out of fashion in the 1970s.
That same franchise, which has only gone from strength to strength, is now under exclusive new creative control after longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson announced they were ‘stepping back’ after being its driving and guiding forces since 1995.
As the children of famed producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, it was the two of them who cast Daniel Craig as the suave spy in 2005, who followed in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Sean and Lazenby.
Tech giant Amazon acquired the rights to the 007 franchise through its parent studio Eon, founded in 1961, when it bought MGM in 2022 for $8.45billion (£6.69bn), duly forming its own studio – Amazon MGM Studios.
As part of the deal, Broccoli and Wilson were to remain the ultimate decisionmakers, having final say over crucial Bond components such as casting and the script.
However, they’ve now ceded that control to Amazon in an unexpected move, thought to have cost the corporation an additional $1billion (£792.3m).
Former Bond Dalton admitted he was ‘very, very surprised and shocked’ over the news of their departure.
‘Barbara is I think a fabulous woman and a wonderful producer, as was her father Cubby Broccoli, who I got on with very well and liked a lot. He was a very powerful and strong anchor for the project. Nothing went on that he didn’t want and it’s sad that he’s not with us anymore, that’s all I can say.
‘He was well in charge of the show and that’s not so anymore,’ he told RadioTimes.com.
The star – who appeared in 1987’s The Living Daylights and 1989’s Licence to Kill – also said he hoped Amazon ‘give us the kind of film that’s brought so much excitement and fun to so many people’ as he wished the new controllers luck with the franchise.
Craig was equally complimentary to the producers as he reacted to the news, telling Variety: ‘My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished.
‘I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well deserved) retirement and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them.’
Sharing the news on Thursday, producer Wilson, 83, said in a statement to the BBC: ‘With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects.
‘Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.’
Broccoli, 64, added: ‘My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli.
‘I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry.
‘With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.’
Fans and industry insiders have already began speculating over the future of James Bond and how it – and he – may look.
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