Apple, Amazon Vie For James Bond Rights, Making a TV Show Possible
The competition for the film rights to James Bond has been shaken and stirred by the arrival of new contenders in Apple and Amazon.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the digital companies are bidding for 007, a move that drastically changes the landscape for the property — considered one of the last big "untapped brands."
MGM and Eon Productions have been looking for a new distribution deal since their last one with Sony expired after 2015's "Spectre." Warner Bros. is apparently still in the lead, with Sony, Universal, and Fox also in the mix, but Apple and Amazon bring big, fat checkbooks.
Apple, in particular, is considered a fearsome contender. The tech giant is investing more into original content. Two former Sony Television execs defected to Apple, and their involvement leads to speculation that Apple (or Amazon) could develop a James Bond TV series to stream on their platforms.
"In the world of Lucasfilm and Marvel, Bond feels really underdeveloped," a source told THR. Both of those other franchises utilize their properties in both movies and TV.