James Bond is undoubtedly one of the biggest film franchises in the world. The iconic character has been played by some of the greatest actors to have ever graced the big screen and its run is far from over. Sony’s distribution rights deal for James Bond ended in 2015 after Spectre was released so the rights are now up from grabs. Hollywood power house Warner Bros. is reportedly interested in acquiring the rights, but so are Apple and Amazon.
The Hollywood Reporter hears from sources that both Apple and Amazon are willing to pay the same kind of money that Warner Bros. is for the James Bond film rights, if not more.
MGM has been looking to get a deal for over two years now. Universal, Fox, and Sony are said to be in the running as well. Warner Bros. and Sony are both said to be pursuing this aggressively.
Some see Apple and Amazon’s inclusion in this race as something far beyond film distribution rights. They believe that the future of the franchise itself might be up for grabs if MGM is willing to sell out for the right price. The franchise is believed to be valued between $2 billion and $5 billion.
It’s still early days yet and there’s no confirmation from either camp of a deal. Nevertheless, with a new James Bond movie set to enter production in the near future, a formal announcement will soon be made about who will get to distribute the next James Bond film.
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