CNBC reports.
One of the more valuable IP elements is James Bond, though as Screenrant explained last year, the situation is complicated.
Back in January, it was reported that Apple had held preliminary talks about a possible acquisition of MGM.
Acquiring James Bond isn’t quite as simple as just buying MGM. For starters, MGM doesn’t have sole-ownership of the franchise backlog. The studio shares those rights with a holding company called Danjaq LLC, which also holds control over future Bond films. That means that even if a company like Disney bought MGM, additional deals would be necessary to work out streaming plans and the rights to produce new 007 content. That’s complicated, but it’s certainly all feasible. Assuming those rights issues were worked out, the future of James Bond could have a lot of exciting possibilities.
Those talks apparently fizzled out, with nothing further heard.
According to this week’s report, MGM has held “preliminary talks” with “a number of companies,” including both Apple and Netflix. MGM’s goal is to “gauge their interest in an acquisition” after building up a content library “worth more than $10 billion,” the report says. Much of that value comes from MGM’s franchises.
MGM is the owner of several film and television franchises, including James Bond, RoboCop, and The Magnificent Seven. It also owns premium cable network Epix, and has made shows including “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Live PD.”
Image: Screenrant
