Imagine James Bond using an iPhone and wearing an Apple Watch. Hey, it could happen. Apple and Amazon are among those vying for the rights to the legendary spy’s franchise, as Sony’s rights expired after 2015’s Spectre film, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The article says that Warner Bros. looks to be the main contender for landing the rights to 007’s adventures. However, Apple and Amazon are expected to offer bids in the same ballpark, perhaps more. The Bond franchise is valued between $2 billion and $5 billion.
Unnamed “sources” told The Hollywood Reporter that Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, recent additions to Apple’s executive team, are spearheading the effort on the tech giant’s behalf. 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, the article adds.
Erlicht and Van Amburg joined Apple from Sony Pictures Television. to will lead the company’s video programming worldwide. They’ll report to Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Daniel Craig will be back one more time in a James Bond film to be released in 2019. After that the role will be recast and the series possibly rebooted.
