Apple and Amazon Now Bidding for James Bond
Not only is James Bond an eligible bachelor. This week, the Hollywood Reporter (THR) revealed both Apple and Amazon studios are keen to acquire 007 and his license to make money. Both tech giants have said they are willing to equal or exceed Warner Brothers’ current offer.
That’s great news for MGM and Eon. For most other Hollywood studios, this is a shot across the bow.
For Amazon: a Huge Boost to Their Media Division
In the case of Amazon, it’s an indication of how deep their intention to become a legitimate contender with Netflix is. Amazon has been steadily making power moves. They’ve been producing TV series like Mozart in the Jungle, or Borsch. They’ve also been acquiring the distribution rights for Prestige and Foreign movies, like Manchester By the Sea.
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While they probably made Netflix jealous be becoming the first streaming vendor to win an Academy Award, their TV drama department hasn’t given Netflix any reason to sweat. Yet.
By purchasing the 007, that would change completely. Amazon would have their first blockbuster franchise Bond is a known quantity, with a long history, and a built-in fanbase. The reverberations would make their way through the Hollywood studio system.
Recently, the producers of James Bond have been talking about making James Bond into a cinematic universe, with spin-offs. For Amazon, this would be a golden opportunity to use this purchase to make this a reality. They’d have a movie series, and the potential for tie-in shows would represent a huge shot in the arm of their TV division.
In short, owning James Bond instantly put Amazon studios in a new weight class.
For Apple: One Step Closer to Total Media Domination
While Amazon wants to be a media heavyweight, Apple already is one. Before August of 2016, Apple had sold more than 1,000,000,000 Smartphones. In both smartphones and laptops, Apple products are seen as the benchmark to meet or exceed. They helped found a little movie studio named Pixar, who’ve released a couple of animated films you might have heard of.
Buying 007’s license to print money would give them a foothold into live-action franchise film-making. I’m sure Apple Inc also finds the concept of a “James Bond cinematic universe enticing. Most strikingly, it would give Apple a relationship with a live action movie studio.
Apple’s liquid asset makes them debatably more threatening than Amazon as a suitor. Because they have more money to bid with than Amazon does, they could both pay more upfront for the whole package anyway.
If Apple bought the James Bond franchise, it would certainly mean that Apple hardware would be found throughout MI6 headquarters. Daniel Craig would probably be cool with this too.
Warner Brothers Is Currently The Front Runner
The Hollywood Reporter stated that Warner Brothers was the leading contender before Amazon and Apple threw down the gauntlet. As Tatiana Siegel reported for the THR, its’ their offer that both Apple and Amazon would be willing to match, or even exceed.
How much money are we talking about? Siegel’s sources aren’t named, but they ballpark it between $2 and 5 billion. Blofeld could probably build a volcano base or two with that cash. That’s also in line with what Disney paid for Star Wars back in 2015, in what Wired called the deal of the century.
Warner Brothers would also have much to gain from obtaining the services of Mr.Bond. In the current world of IP based film-making, I would argue that there are four potential large-scale IP sources not owned by Disney or Universal Studios. By large-scale, I mean series’ which have consistently proven box office potential north of $500 million per movie this decade. They are Transformers, James Bond, DC films and the Fantastic Beasts saga (a spin off of Harry Potter).
Warner Brothers already own the last two. Giving them James Bond would give them 3 out of the four, cementing their status as the number 3 studio. (Disney has number one on lock for the rest of the decade, although what happens after that is anybody’s guess)
Don’t Count Sony Out
Sony is also still in the race. They still have Spiderman, and I’m sure they’d be happy to keep James Bond in the family, even if they probably want a larger cut of it than they were getting before.
So what do you think? Are you cheering for Amazon or Apple? Or do you want an old guard studio like Warner Brothers and Sony to prevail? Sound off in the comments bellow.