Creative control of the long-running James Bond franchise has been handed to Amazon MGM Studios, in a joint venture with the current owners.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson – who are the daughter and stepson of film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the man responsible for developing the Bond franchise into the success it is today – will remain co-owners of 007 intellectual property rights.

The pair own EON Productions, the company behind Bond films including Skyfall and Spectre. It has produced 25 films since 1962.

The deal follows speculation over when the next Bond movie – and indeed the next Bond – will be announced.

The last film, No Time To Die, was delivered four years ago to rave reviews and box office success. It was the swansong for Daniel Craig in his performance of the lady-loving spy.

Details of the 26th official Bond film – and its new star – are yet to be revealed.

In a statement on EON Productions website, Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios said they were “honoured to continue this treasured heritage” and looked forward to “ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world”.

Wilson said that after 60 years spent working across the franchise, he would now be focusing on “art and charitable projects”.

Barbara Broccoli said: “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.”

In 2022, Amazon bought MGM Studios, which distributes Bond, for $8.45bn (£6.79bn).

Since the acquisition, the streamer has held the rights to distribute all the Bond movies.

In the spring of 2023, Amazon Prime Video launched Bond-themed reality show, 007 Road To A Million.

Hosted by Succession star Brian Cox, it offered nine pairs of contestants the chance to win £1m as they travelled through global locations associated with the franchise.

While no one took home the full £1m jackpot, brothers James and Joey did take £150,000. The show was met with a mixed critical reception but was given the green light for a second season.

Manslaughter charges over the death of Liam Payne have been dropped for his friend Roger Nores and two hotel workers.

Rogelio “Roger” Nores, hotel operator Gilda Martin, and head of reception Esteban Grassi were charged in December, two months after the One Direction star’s death at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At the same time, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz were charged with supplying cocaine to Payne.

Following an appeal, the manslaughter charges against Nores, Martin and Grassi have now been dropped, court documents show.

The charges against Pereyra and Paiz still stand and they remain in prison awaiting a trial.

Speaking after the ruling, Nores told Rolling Stone: “Glad this is finally over. I’m happy I’m now going to be able to travel to the UK and say goodbye to my friend.”

Nores, Martin and Grassi would have faced up to five years in prison had they been convicted.

Supplying drugs in Argentina carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

The latest court document states that Payne fell from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the hotel at about 5.10pm on 16 October.

In the hours beforehand, the singer had been involved in an argument with two women in the hotel lobby, the court document states, and cleaning staff later reported the television in his hotel room was broken.

Toxicology tests revealed that before his death, he had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his body.

His cause of death was “polytrauma” from multiple injuries and internal and external bleeding, a postmortem found.

Pregnant actress Michelle Keegan and her husband Mark Wright reportedly hid from burglars in a locked bedroom during a home invasion at their mansion.

Essex Police said it was alerted to the break-in at about 6.20pm on Tuesday, with four suspects reported to have forced entry and searched the address before fleeing.

The force said officers arrived at the scene in Ongar within eight minutes.

As first reported in The Sun, Wright, 38, was said to have heard a patio window smash and then hid in a locked bedroom together with his 37-year-old wife until police arrived.

The intruders reportedly fled empty-handed after hearing Wright, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), shouting.

Police were said to have been alerted via a state-of-the-art security system at the couple’s home, with the intruders also described as wearing balaclavas and dressed in black.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We are continuing to support and safeguard the victims and are conducting high-visibility patrols in the area.

“We are exploring a number of lines of inquiry including but not limited to forensic opportunities, CCTV and witness statements.

“Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.”

The couple have been documenting the creation of their “dream home” on their “wrightyhome” Instagram page, which has 664,000 followers.

Read more from Sky News:
Ronan Keating criticises ‘broken’ justice system as brother’s killer avoids prison
Kevin Spacey tells Guy Pearce to ‘grow up’

Keegan played Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, and has also starred in the BBC military drama Our Girl and the Sky comedy Brassic.

More recently she has appeared in Ten Pound Poms, about a group of Brits leaving post-war Britain for Australia.

Heart FM presenter Wright was a semi-professional footballer who spent time at the youth academies of West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham before he starred in TOWIE.

He appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2011 and has also worked as a TV presenter.

Representatives for the couple declined to comment.