James Bond 25 deal about to be made with Annapurna and MGM

MGM is close to closing a deal for ‘Bond 25’.

And it sees them teaming up in a joint venture with Annapurna Pictures.

According to Deadline, the US distribution rights for the upcoming ‘James Bond’ sequel are about to be confirmed… with Annapurna and MGM teaming up to bag 007.

“In a move sure to make the Lion purr, MGM and Annapurna are this close to announcing they will team on the domestic release of the next James Bond movie,” they revealed. “This all should be finalized this week, and rumors are flying today.”

Christoph Waltz Won’t Return For Bond 25
Monica Belluci Could Be Back As Bond Girl
You Only Live Twice Bond Girl Dies Aged 79

And this isn’t the only joint venture in their future.

This news follows the announcement that Annapurna and MGM will be teaming up for US distribution on a number of films… but most importantly, the joint-venture will bring a team together which is known for its handling of the ‘Bond’ franchise.

“The relationships between Annapurna’s marketing and distribution execs and MGM’s [Gary] Barber go back decades,” they explain. “Together they have worked on multiple franchises like Bond and Jump Street as well as more modestly budgeted films going all the way back to Memoirs of a Geisha (the latter, when Barber was running Spyglass).”

In fact, Annapurna’s head of distribution Erik Lomis previously worked at MGM on ‘Bond’ marketing and distribution. Not to mention Annapurna boss Marc Weinstock having worked on the franchise over at Sony Pictures.

And this deal sounds like a great one.

Annapurna and MGM will share the distribution costs and overheads – reportedly a smart move for both companies. And it’s not the only deal they’re negotiating together, either. Another part of the agreement sees Annapurna and MGM forming a releasing entity called ‘Mirror’ to pursue releasing opportunities with third party films – an interesting prospect which could see them championing a number of other high-profile movies.

And that’s just the start of it.

“Through this new joint venture with Annapurna, MGM expects to release a slate of approximately six to eight films per year beginning with Eli Roth’s re-imagining of the classic 1974 revenge thriller Death Wish, starring Bruce Willis which will be released March 2, 2018.”

Other films on the MGM/Annapurna list include ‘Valley Girl’, Fighting With My Family’, and ‘Creed 2’.

Quite an upcoming slate for the newly-formed partnership.

And with ‘Bond 25’ about to be added to that, it sounds like a winner all round.

Of course, the ‘Bond’ franchise has always been a tricky one, with producer Barbara Brocolli holding notoriously tight reins over the franchise. Usually, this would likely have proven prohibitive for the likes of Annapurna – a newcomer in the grand scheme of things… but by partnering with MGM it seems they’ve managed to wrangle one of the biggest (and highest profile) deals in Hollywood.

Idris Elba Gives Up On Playing Bond
Daniel Craig Confirms He’s Back As 007
Bond Shouldn’t Be A Woman Says Halle Berry