Washington [US], April 3 (ANI): The makers of James Bond have announced a new movie, however, the next actor to play 007, the agent with a license to kill, has not been decided yet, reported Variety.

The new owners of the franchise, Amazon MGM, spoke about their plans at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

'We are committed to honouring the legacy of this iconic character while bringing a fresh, exciting new chapter to audiences around the world alongside Amy [Pascal] and David [Heyman],' said the studio's executives Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll Wednesday night on stage at Caesars Palace, according to Variety.

'They're both in London getting started and couldn't be here tonight, but we wanted to thank them for what we know will make an incredible partnership,' they added.

Earlier this year, long-time Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli decided to step back from creative control. They formed a partnership with Amazon MGM, keeping ownership of the franchise but allowing Amazon to take a bigger role.

According to Variety, Amazon acquired MGM in 2021 for $8.5 billion, which gave them the rights to distribute James Bond movies. However, they only owned 50% of the franchise, which meant they had limited influence on creative decisions.

'James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema. We are humbled to follow in the footsteps of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, who made so many extraordinary films, and are honored and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure,' Pascal and Heyman said in a statement about their hiring, as per Variety.

Meanwhile, there is no word on who will play the next James Bond.

Daniel Craig played Bond, the fictional secret agent 007, in five films. The actor last appeared as Bond in 'No Time to Die', released in 2021. (ANI)