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Apple Looking to Purchase 'James Bond' Film Distribution Rights

Wednesday September 6, 2017 7:32 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
As its hunt for original television and film content heats up, Apple is now reportedly looking to land film distribution rights to the James Bond film franchise (via The Hollywood Reporter). Warner Bros. is said to be the front contender, but Apple and fellow tech company Amazon are both in "hot pursuit" of the spy series.

Sony's distribution rights for James Bond films ended with the release of the latest entry, 2015's Spectre, leading to multiple studios and companies vying for the rights. Sources close to the deal said that Apple and Amazon are willing to spend "in the same ballpark" as Warner Bros, "if not much more," in order to beef up their respective streaming businesses. Besides these companies, Universal and Fox are also pursuing the rights to the franchise.

Daniel Craig as James Bond via 007.com

The deal is said to include the streaming rights to the entire James Bond film back catalogue, and potentially even "the future of the franchise." In recent James Bond news, Daniel Craig confirmed he'll be back to play the titular character in future movies.
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.
Newly hired Apple executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are said to be spearheading the effort to acquire the James Bond franchise on Apple's behalf. Those close to the deal estimate that the property could be worth somewhere between $2 billion and $5 billion.

Tag: Apple's Hollywood ambitions
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555gallardo
26 months ago

James Bond, now with more watch bands.


The name's Band. James Band.
Rating: 28 Votes
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555gallardo
26 months ago
Sep 6th 2017: Apple buys rights for James Bond franchise
Sep 6th 2027: Apple discontinues James Bond franchise after 10 years since acquiring rights
Rating: 15 Votes
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TheHateMachine
26 months ago
James Bond, now with more watch bands.
Rating: 15 Votes
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KazKam
26 months ago

The franchise does need something new. It is hilarious when the parody (Kingsmen) is more enjoyable than the original franchise.


I wouldn't call Kingsmen a parody at all. It was clearly written to stand on its own. However, I would call The Brothers Grimsby somewhat of a parody of Kingsmen.

Austin Powers, now that was a parody of Bond films.
Rating: 14 Votes
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MartinAppleGuy
26 months ago
Should have went for Mission Impossible instead. Seeing them go to use Surface Pros as there only computers in Rogue Nation put me consistently on the edge of my seat waiting for them to rage quit and throw it like the NFL players did or have updates 1 of 300 installed haha
Rating: 9 Votes
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JeffyTheQuik
26 months ago
I'm shaken, not stirred by this news.
Rating: 8 Votes
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rpat701
26 months ago
Apple should bid on exclusive streaming rights for NFL games the next time the TV contract is up. It would be game-over for many of the cable companies. A LOT more people would cut the cord.
Rating: 7 Votes
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now i see it
26 months ago
In a way I hope Apple doesn't get it or become successful with video streaming. The future looks very bleak (and expensive) for the consumer of this kind of stuff. All these competing streaming services, all requiring a monthly subscription. There comes a point (from the consumer's point of view) that enough is enough. No more subscriptions.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Wowereit
26 months ago

Is Daniel Craig going to stop or not-stop being Bond? Every time I read how he hated it, an article popped up about him accepting the next movie.


"I hate this ****!"
Offer gets increased by 50%.
"Deal"
Rating: 5 Votes
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Chupa Chupa
26 months ago
I suppose the only reason for Apple to do this is so Amazon doesn't get it. I love James Bond but the franchise is dead. The new stuff is an embarrassment.

It puzzles me though why Apple would bid on this and did not on NFL streaming rights. Live sports is the only growth area in TV right now.
Rating: 5 Votes

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