Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios, home to the James Bond franchise will continue to go for a theatre release for all the upcoming films of the franchise despite the recent acquisition by tech giant Amazon.com Inc. This week the eCommerce giant bought MGM studios in its second-largest ever acquisition for USD 8.45 billion ($6.5 billion, excluding debt).
Despite the recent acquisition, the rights to produce the James Bond movies will continue to remain with MGM’s critically acclaimed powerful step-siblings, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The brother-sister duo inherited the production rights in 1995, from Ms Broccoli’s father, Albert R. Broccoli who was the co-founder of the British film production company- Eon Productions. Broccoli and Wilson will continue to have creative control of the character and story of the films.
“We are committed to continuing to make James Bond films for the worldwide theatrical audience,” said 007’s producers in the statement obtained by Variety.
Bond, the secret agent character has been played by actors including Daniel Craig, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. After the 2015 release of Spectre, the sequel of the 2012 Bond film Skyfall; Daniel Craig is set to awe fans again in the upcoming James Bond film ‘No Time to Die.’
‘No Time to Die,’ the 25th instalment in the Bond film series, will be Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007. The film which was pushed back more than once due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is finally scheduled to hit theatres on October 8.
The £5.97 billion deal between Amazon.com Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios will add a huge library of films and television shows to Amazon’s TV and movie streaming platform- ‘Amazon Prime Video.’ The Bond franchise that already includes 24 films to date has been critical for MGM’s value. Offering MGM’s all-time hit movies, franchises and shows such as Rocky, Pink Panther, The Handmaid’s Tale, and others will undoubtedly skyrocket Amazon’s growth.
With Daniel Craig deciding to end his five-movie run and leave the James Bond series on an all-time high, the future of the 007 series remains a much-awaited mystery.
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