Apple, Amazon enter Bond chase scene
This could be a game-changer for 007. Apple and Amazon have jumped into the bidding war for the James Bond movie rights, according to a report.
While Warner Bros. is seen as the frontrunner, the tech giants, with their deep pockets, could upend the process by making a play for the entire franchise — valued at between $2 billion and $5 billion, the report said.
“Apple’s and Amazon’s inclusion in the chase would indicate that more is on the table than film rights, including the future of the franchise,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, which first noted the tech companies’ interest.
Distribution rights to the Bond franchise have been up for grabs since Sony’s twopicture deal ended with the release of “Spectre” in November 2015.
The next outing for 007 — who’ll again be played by Daniel Craig — is slated for November 2019.
In addition to Warner Bros., Fox, Sony and Universal also are bidding for Bond rights, THR reported.
While few movie franchises have the pop-cultural appeal of Bond — an image nurtured since the release of “Dr. No” in 1962 — even fewer have as much untapped potential.
“The franchise, by only limiting itself to theatrical movies, remains vastly underutilized by 21st-century standards, where expectations are to exploit [intellectual property] across all mediums,” THR said.
Efforts by Apple or Amazon to win over MGM and Eon Productions, which control the rights to Bond, are consistent with the tech giants’ aggressive entry into the production of video content.