Apple and other streaming giants are reportedly considering the acquisition of the newest James Bond title No Time to Die, a film that was supposed to debut in April but subsequently postponed and again delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to insiders, MGM, the studio that made the film and holds rights to the James Bond franchise, reportedly lost around $50 million in revenue due to delays, and now it appears as though the firm has been pitching the movie to streaming giants instead.
The film was due to launch in April 2020 but postponed to November as the COVID-19 outbreak first took off. Since then, as the number of cases and deaths has risen, and the number of movie theaters around the world temporarily or permanently close, the studio is keen to explore alternative options, following the success of movies like Greyhound.
Although a spokesperson for the studio has quashed rumors of a potential sale, insiders have suggested that the latest Bond movie has been on the shelf for a number of weeks and that companies like Apple TV+ have considered paying up to $600 million for rights.
Netflix and Amazon reportedly said that the $600 million asking price was too high, despite the title costing more than $250 million to produce.
The franchise has tied up partnerships with brands such as Omega and Rover to recoup some costs when the film finally makes its way into theaters of homes through streaming, but it’s unknown how these tie-ups would be affected if a company like Apple wanted to take ownership of the movie and stream it.
This isn’t the first time Apple has been linked to a James Bond acquisition. The company has been rumored to be interested in acquiring the MGM studio for a couple of years to boost its back catalog, and the firm even used Bond music in its iPhone 12 mini keynote.
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