--- description: After Amazon took creative control of the 007 franchise, the Oscars honored the Broccoli family with a medley that felt like a memorial. title: What Was Up With the Oscars' Strange James Bond Tribute? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91a2085861fef21d/6998c48a9fbc7ccbbed99ddc/GettyImages-2202409093.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What Was Up With the Oscars' Strange James Bond Tribute?  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Jul 31, 2025 9:06 AM CUTPublished: Mar 3, 2025 1:55 AM CUT  Margaret Qualley onstage during the James Bond tribute at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. Margaret Qualley onstage during the James Bond tribute at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.Myung J. Chun—Los Angeles Times/Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Jul 31, 2025 9:06 AM CUTPublished: Mar 3, 2025 1:55 AM CUT _For all the biggest moments of the 2025 Oscars, read our_ [_full recap here_](https://time.com/7262764/oscars-academy-awards-updates-2025/ "undefined")_._ In case you are a movie fan who has been living under a rock for the last week, I regret to inform you that the Broccoli family—who have long been the stewards of the James Bond film franchise—recently handed over full creative control to Amazon in exchange for a [major paycheck](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/james-bond-amazon-christopher-nolan-shut-out-1236321078/ "undefined"). So the Oscars decided to highlight the Broccolis, following Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson’s being honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award last November, with a tribute to 007\. It was…strange. Though introduced by onetime Bond Girl Halle Berry, the musical medley featured stars with absolutely no ties to the franchise, including Margaret Qualley, Lisa of Blackpink (and [_The White Lotus_](https://time.com/7208849/the-white-lotus-season-3-mike-white-cast-interview/ "undefined")), Doja Cat, and Raye. The three musicians are all currently promoting “Born Again,” their recently released single. Lisa took on "Live and Let Die," Doja sparkled during her rendition of "Diamonds Are Forever," and Raye sang "Skyfall." It felt as if Daniel Craig (who has been making the awards circuit for his role in _Queer_), Paul McCartney (who served as one of the musical guests at the recent [_SNL50_ celebration](https://time.com/7226372/snl-50-review/ "undefined")), and Adele (who won an Oscar for “Skyfall”) all passed on appearing in the tribute. Instead of asking one of the many people who have been involved in the Bond franchise over the past several decades to perform, the show ginned up something rather random.  Doja Cat performs u0022Diamonds Are Foreveru0022. Kevin Winter—Getty Images The effect felt like a death knell for the franchise which many in Hollywood fear will lose its verve now that a tech conglomerate has gotten its hands on it. The Broccolis have long refused to produce spinoffs or TV series connected to Bond in order to not sully its story. Amazon has a history of mining IP like [_The Lord of the Rings_](https://time.com/6205837/the-rings-of-power-amazon-most-expensive/ "undefined") for all it is worth. The Broccolis also took big risks in casting, most recently with Daniel Craig, who was a controversial pick for the iconic role (due to his blonde hair) before wowing audiences in _Casino Royale_ and _Skyfall_. Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently [tweeted a poll](https://x.com/JeffBezos/status/1892590064766484622 "undefined") asking fans to vote for the next Bond. Tension between Amazon and the stewards of 007 [has reportedly been simmering for years](https://puck.news/what-is-amazon-going-to-do-with-james-bond/ "undefined"). Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022, gaining not only a massive catalogue of old films but the rights to Bond, one of the most successful franchises in history. Since then, the process of finding a new Bond has come to a standstill. Daniel Craig was (spoiler alert) killed off at the end of his last 007 film, [_No Time to Die_](https://time.com/6102342/no-time-to-die-review/ "undefined"), leaving an opening for a new, young actor to take his place. Reportedly the Broccolis clashed with Amazon’s creative team over the direction of the franchise and a frontrunner for the role did not emerge.  Doja Cat, Raye and Lisa perform onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter—Getty Images Nor has a writer or director been named for the next Bond film. The Broccolis have famously been protective of the spy, refusing to update the character's traits or overindulge in the franchise expansion that is so common nowadays. They also have refused to give filmmakers final cut, which means directors like Christopher Nolan, who [expressed interest in directing a Bond](https://www.avclub.com/christopher-nolan-bond-movie-that-never-was "undefined") film after the release of _Tenet_, haven't been involved. Now Amazon will have to start the hunt for a new creative team as well as a star. Where 007 will head next is anyone's guess. But that Oscars tribute left us both shaken and stirred. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/"},"headline":"What Was Up With the Oscars' Strange James Bond Tribute?","datePublished":"2025-03-03T01:55:07.000Z","dateModified":"2025-07-31T09:06:07.000Z","description":"After Amazon took creative control of the 007 franchise, the Oscars honored the Broccoli family with a medley that felt like a memorial.","url":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/","keywords":["awards","Brief","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91a2085861fef21d/6998c48a9fbc7ccbbed99ddc/GettyImages-2202409093.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91a2085861fef21d/6998c48a9fbc7ccbbed99ddc/GettyImages-2202409093.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"97th Academy Awards","caption":"97th Academy Awards","creditText":"Myung J. Chun—Los Angeles Times/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/awards/","name":"awards"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/","name":"What Was Up With the Oscars' Strange James Bond Tribute?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See All the Best Looks From the 2025 Oscars Red Carpet","description":"See all the best looks from the 2025 Oscars red carpet.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WUCNQHAX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-03-03T01:27:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WUCNQHAX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/","duration":"PT2M27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7263592/oscars-james-bond-lisa-raye-doja-cat/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```