James Bond: Jeff Bezos of Amazon invested nearly one billion dollars in the creative rights of 007.
After Amazon acquired the creative rights to James Bond, find out how much Jeff Bezos paid to take control of 007.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, showed great interest in acquiring the rights to the James Bond franchise and was willing to invest whatever it took to achieve it. Following Amazon's purchase of MGM, it was revealed that the intellectual property of 007 was one of the most valuable assets included in the $8.5 billion transaction. James Bond is considered one of the most iconic franchises worldwide, and having control over it would allow Amazon to explore new opportunities, including spin-off movies and series.
However, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who had maintained creative control of the character, initially opposed Amazon's acquisition. After the purchase of MGM, the company approached the producers with ideas for spin-off series, including proposals about MI6 secretary Moneypenny and CIA agent Felix Leiter. Both suggestions were rejected.
An earlier report mentioned that Broccoli, who holds significant control over Bond, was very offended when an Amazon Studios executive referred to Bond as "content." This led Broccoli to disqualify Amazon executives quite emphatically. This situation did not sit well with Bezos, who reportedly ordered his management team to fire Broccoli, stating he didn't care about the cost of doing so.
In February, Amazon and MGM Studios announced the creation of a new joint venture with Broccoli and Wilson that would manage the intellectual property rights of James Bond. Although the producers would remain co-owners of the franchise, Amazon would now have full control over the creative aspects. Apparently, the reason behind this change was that Bezos kept his promise not to spare expenses and forked out nearly a billion dollars for creative control of Bond.
With this new autonomy, Amazon will begin planning the next Bond movie, known as Bond 26. Although no actor or director has been assigned yet, rumors suggest that Christopher Nolan may be interested in the project.