Amazon and Apple Compete for Control of James Bond

The big tech companies are slowly but surely also turning into media companies. There's an obvious reason why: if they can control the media we all want to watch, they can sell us the hardware to watch it on and the services to subscribe to that allow access to it.

So it should come as no surprise that both Amazon and Apple are now competing for control of the James Bond film rights.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, both tech companies have joined a growing list of entities interested in picking up the 007 rights. Sony's deal expired after Spectre was released in 2015. Since then, Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, and Sony have been trying to secure new rights. But now Apple and Amazon are involved, and neither company is short of cash.

Rather than just wanting the film rights, though, it is being suggested Apple and Amazon desire complete control. That way we would get more than a movie every few years. We could see Bond the series, spin-off properties, etc. Think about what Disney is doing with Star Wars and you can see the potential James Bond has if an Apple or Amazon owned it.

The cost of full ownership is thought to be in the region of $2-$5 billion. Those aren't exactly huge figures for the tech industry. Don't forget, Amazon agreed to pay $13.7 billion to acquire Whole Foods back in June. And Apple has over $260 billion in cash. Bond would be just a small drop in the ocean.

Recommended by Our Editors

Apple Poaches Amazon Exec to Bolster Apple TV

Whether either company will be successful in taking control of James Bond is unknown, but they are certain to disrupt the process and see the price of rights increase. It almost certainly won't be the last time they will try, either.