James Bond has been a lucrative property for Sony, which has seen films such as Casino Royale and Skyfall turn massive profits at the box office. Now the studio is facing the end of its collaboration with MGM as the deal for the distribution rights to the series ends with Spectre. And according to Variety, there will be a scramble by other studios to score the next deal.
Sony, of course, has a healthy hand going into the negotiations given the success of the recent films. But it’s not the only player looking to grab the IP. “The reality is that Sony’s had a fantastic run with the Bonds,” Sony boss Tom Rothman tells Variety. “Sure we’re going to compete for [the rights], but let’s be honest, so is everybody in the business.”
According to the trade mag, there’s a chance that close ties between MGM’s boss Gary Barber and Warner Bros. top dog Kevin Tsujihara could lead to 007 moving to Warners, which has had a more successful run of movies overall and has worked with MGM on several movies itself, including the Hobbit trilogy.
The outcome might depend on Spectre’s performance (see the teaser trailer here), but for now it appears that Bond will be mulling his options.
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