UPDATED: Five Studios Vying for James Bond 007 Rights
UPDATE (August 15, 2017)
Craig revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that he will be returning as 007 in the as-yet-untitled 25th James Bond movie, slated for a November 8, 2019 release.
BREAKING NEWS: ???????
Daniel Craig, will you return as James Bond? – @StephenAtHomeYes – #DanielCraig #LSSC pic.twitter.com/FroXh2qsp4
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) August 16, 2017
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In his last big screen adventure, James Bond (Daniel Craig) found himself surrounded on all sides by Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and the agents of Spectre. Bond finds himself surrounded once again, only this time by movie studio executives instead of a global terrorist network’s assassins. According to The New York Times, rights holders MGM and Eon Productions are taking pitches from several studios to distribute the 25th movie in a one-picture deal.
Sony distributed the last four James Bond movies — Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall & Spectre — through Columbia Pictures, and reportedly gave their pitch from within a replica of the Dr. No set that they built specifically to impress the rights holders. Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Annapurna are also vying for the rights to distribute the next movie. The casting of James Bond was apparently not discussed, but producers are hoping for the return of Craig in the iconic role for at least one more film.
