When Amazon took over the creative control of the James Bond franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who had been managing it for years, this move was considered one of the tech giant's most valuable acquisitions. Amazon had previously spent $1 billion on a new Lord of the Rings series, but The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power failed to keep viewers engaged for long hours. The James Bond franchise is set to be rebooted with a new film directed by Denis Villeneuve, while also expanding into the streaming world. In this new era, Amazon aims to be more successful with its mega-budget, long-format spy games.

During the development phase of The Lord of the Rings series, Amazon invested $300 million in the production of six episodes to create a shared universe. To kick off the project, Amazon chose the Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, who emerged from the record-breaking success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, the following years saw one of the most disastrous stories in streaming history. The first season was marked by behind-the-scenes conflicts, and the original creative team made way for new producers. Two spin-offs followed, but it was announced that both series were canceled after a recent management change at Prime Video.

Learning from these failed experiences, Amazon has recently focused on the Citadel series. Starring Priyanka Chopra, Richard Madden, Stanley Tucci, and Lesley Manville, the second season episodes were heavily influenced by James Bond and Mission: Impossible films. The series follows the operatives of the secret intelligence community Citadel as they eliminate the enemy organization Manticore before preventing global disasters.

The performance of Citadel's second season indicates that Amazon's investments are yielding the desired results. According to FlixPatrol data, the second season of Citadel ranked second in the global Prime Video viewer chart, falling behind The Boys. This success is particularly notable considering the first season premiered in 2023 with a score of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The success of Citadel shows that Amazon has taken a breath after its recent failures. The company's long journey in the realm of mega-budget spy thrillers seems to finally be yielding the desired outcomes. However, what Prime Video's future plans regarding the James Bond franchise will be remains unclear.