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If there’s been a consistently hot topic in filmmaking circles in the past couple of months, it’s been what the future of James Bond looks like. After all, it was just in February that the previous custodians of the franchise stepped down after six decades, and just a week or so ago that Amazon tapped former Sony Pictures boss (and Spider-Man movie producer) Amy Pascal and Harry Potter producer David Heyman to step in and take over. It’s a subject many people are curious about — so how could Amazon MGM Studios avoid it during its first CinemaCon presentation?

With geography, as it turned out.

Studio executives Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll took to the stage earlier this week with a plan to head off any questions about Bond — like, for example, who’s going to take over the iconic role from Daniel Craig in future movies? Or who’ll direct the first of the new Amazon-controlled features? — by offering a statement that made it pretty clear there would be no further questions at this time.

“We are committed to honoring the legacy of this iconic character while bringing a fresh, exhilarating new chapter to audiences around the world alongside Amy and David,” they announced, adding, “They’re both in London getting started and couldn’t be here tonight, but we wanted to thank them for what we know to make an incredible partnership.”

As far as attempts to shut down discussion goes, you have to admire the approach of, ‘the people who could answer those questions are too busy working to answer your questions’ for its boldness, if nothing else.

Pascal and Heyman will likely have to give some kind of public commentary about their plans sooner rather than later; so far, all we have is a particularly bland statement when they were officially announced as taking over the property: “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 honored and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure.”

For now, however, we’ll let them work away in the UK, and appreciate Amazon’s artful dodge. For now.

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