Tech giants in ‘bidding war’ to secure next James Bond franchise rights

abiola

September 7, 2017 1:03 PM

Sony Pictures held the last distribution deal rights for 2015’s “Spectre”

Apple and Amazon are reportedly seeking out distribution right deals for the next Bond film franchise following 2015s “Spectre” which Sony had distribution rights for.

The moves arrive on the heels of MGM locking in Daniel Craig to return for another Bond outing and setting a release date of November 8, 2019.

The tech giants will be battling for the bragging rights alongside traditional powerhouse studios Warner Bros, Fox and Universal, all of whom are in talks with right owner MGM.

Apple and Amazon are said to be offering as much, if not more than the traditional studio companies for the Bond rights, which is said to be worth amounts in the region of $2billion to $5billion according to an insider. Apple’s new film and TV executives are supposedly looking to strike even broader deal that would include TV rights.

“In the world of Lucasfilm and Marvel, Bond feels really underdeveloped,” says someone familiar with the bidding process. Sources say that, along with the tech giants, Chinese companies could come in from the cold to pursue not just movie rights but massive licensing rights that could push deals into the billions of dollars.”

The deal if successful with Apple or Amazon will translate to a whole new experience in the way Hollywood movies are distributed.

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