According to The Hollywood Reporter , as Apple heats up for its original television and film content, the company now reportedly intent look...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, as Apple heats up for its original television and film content, the company now reportedly intent looking to land film distribution rights to the James Bond film franchise. Apple, Amazon, and Warner Bros. are sparring over production rights for future films.
Sony's distribution rights for James Bond films ended with the release of the latest entry, 2015's Spectre, which causing to multiple studios and companies competing for rights. The sources are close to the deal saying that Apple and Amazon are willing to spend "in the same ballpark" as the Warner Bros. "If not much more," in addition to these companies, Universal and Fox are also pursuing franchises in order to reinforce their respective streaming business
It is said that the deal includes the streaming rights to the entire James Bond film back catalogue, and may even include "the future of the franchise". It’s also not exactly clear what Apple would do with the rights, as the package likely extends far beyond just film and TV and ventures into apps and other types of digital media. In the recent James Bond news, Daniel Craig confirmed that he would re-play the role in a future movie
Leading Apple’s negotiations are Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, the two former Sony Pictures executives who recently joined Apple to lead its original content efforts. It’s unclear how much Apple is willing to spend specifically, but the franchise is said to be worth anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion while Apple’s Hollywood war chest for the next twelve months is worth a reported $1 billion.
Sony's distribution rights for James Bond films ended with the release of the latest entry, 2015's Spectre, which causing to multiple studios and companies competing for rights. The sources are close to the deal saying that Apple and Amazon are willing to spend "in the same ballpark" as the Warner Bros. "If not much more," in addition to these companies, Universal and Fox are also pursuing franchises in order to reinforce their respective streaming business
It is said that the deal includes the streaming rights to the entire James Bond film back catalogue, and may even include "the future of the franchise". It’s also not exactly clear what Apple would do with the rights, as the package likely extends far beyond just film and TV and ventures into apps and other types of digital media. In the recent James Bond news, Daniel Craig confirmed that he would re-play the role in a future movie
But the emergence of Apple — which is considered such a viable competitor that Warners is now pressing MGM hard to close a deal — and Amazon shows that the digital giants consider Bond one of the last untapped brands (like a Marvel, Pixar or Lucasfilm) that could act as a game-changer in the content space. 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 if MGM will sell or license out for the right price.
Leading Apple’s negotiations are Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, the two former Sony Pictures executives who recently joined Apple to lead its original content efforts. It’s unclear how much Apple is willing to spend specifically, but the franchise is said to be worth anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion while Apple’s Hollywood war chest for the next twelve months is worth a reported $1 billion.
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