Apple reportedly seeking distribution rights for James Bond franchise
- sep
- 06
Apple is reportedly in the running to acquire the distribution rights for the James Bond film franchise, a move that would be a boon to the company's efforts to become one of the bigger names in content. The efforts to secure the franchise are apparently being led by Apple's new heads of programming development, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Sources say newly arrived executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are spearheading the effort on Apple's behalf. Given their background (the pair served as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Television and shocked the industry when they announced in June that they were leaving for Apple), this would suggest that Apple is interested in cutting a larger rights deal or acquiring full ownership to exploit Bond's largely unmined TV potential. Valuation of the franchise may be anywhere between $2 billion and $5 billion, says an insider.
Apple is in competition for the rights with Warner Bros., largely considered to be the leader in this race, as well as Amazon. The distribution rights for the franchise were previously held by Sony. Both tech companies are said to be willing to spend somewhere in the same range as Warner Bros. for the rights to the Bond franchise.
The next James Bond film is not yet titled, but will release on November 8, 2019, and will see Daniel Craig return to the lead role for the fifth time.