Amazon bought creative control of the James Bond franchise, and for a lot less than you’d probably imagine:
Sooner or later everyone has a price, but in the case of James Bond ‘s former paymasters it’s significantly lower than the incredible sums being reported as recently as last week. After 25 films, six 007’s and countless foiled attempts at world domination, long-term producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael C Wilson sold the hugely popular spy franchise to Amazon MGM for a widely reported £1 billion, in February.
But a recent earnings report from Wilson and Broccoli’s Eon Productions suggests the true figure is notably less than initially thought.
‘On 20 February 2025, the company entered into an agreement for the sale of its interest in the Bond franchise, all associated assets as well as its subsidiary companies, B24 Limited and B25 Limited,’ reads the report, published by Variety. The total consideration for the sale amounted to $20 million (USD).’
The deal gives Jeff Bezos and Amazon MGM full creative control of the franchise going forward, while forming a joint venture with Wilson and Broccoli to manage intellectual property rights.
If Amazon can do for Bond what it did for Lord of the Rings, it should be available for a lot less in the not-too-distant future. Sure, it’s possible they learned their lesson, certainly a lot of other film studios did. But I wouldn’t bet on it.