This article has been updated.
Amazon has been envious of the media empire Netflix and Disney have built for some time now. While it’s not short of its own pack of superheroes with the likes ofThe BoysandInvincible, the company has now reached a deal to buy MGM for almost $9 billion, which would mean a new home forJames Bond.
MGM is said to have been on the market for potential buyers since 2010 when the company filed for bankruptcy and successfully climbed out under creditor leadership. Since then, MGM has continued turning out films for its most famous franchises, James Bond andRocky, including three 007 movies andthe launch of Michael B. Jordan’sCreedsagawithin theRockyuniverse.
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According to a report put out bytheWall Street Journal, Amazon’s acquisition plans include MGM’s massive $2 billion debt, but also theJames Bond,Rocky,andThe Hobbitproperties, which are seen as the company’s crown jewels, aside from its library of both classic and newer productions likeThe Handmaid’sTale. The news comes on the back of AT&T’s recent Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia merger, which will certainly draw more scrutiny from government authorities that have had their eyes set on Amazon’s tech monopoly for years.
Amazon put out a press release announcing the finalization of the deal, however it noted that it is still subject to any sort of regulatory approvals and closing conditions. It’s also unclear whether the deal would include or affect the release of 007’sNo Time to Die, which has constantly been stifled by pandemic-related delays that plagued the movie industry for the past year. The film was not mentioned in the press release.
No Time to Dieis currently slated for an October premiere in the United States, and after so long the movie certainly has builtmore hype than any other James Bond filmbefore it. The film’s delays and MGM’s reluctance to sell it to streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV stems from its potential to yield over a billion dollars in box office revenue, which could at least triple the studio’s investment in 007.
Of course, that is providedNo Time to Diedidn’t incur any additional expenses for rumored reshootsneeded to update James Bond’s ancient 2020 gadgets. Regardless of what this means for corporate consolidation, the possibility of a James Bond Amazon Prime Video series in the future does not sound bad at all.
James Bond’sNo Time to Dieis scheduled to be released in theaters on Jun 01, 2025.
