Apple Looking to Purchase 'James Bond' Film Distribution Rights

As its hunt for original television and film content heats up, Apple is now reportedly looking to land film distribution rights to the James Bond film franchise (via The Hollywood Reporter). Warner Bros. is said to be the front contender, but Apple and fellow tech company Amazon are both in "hot pursuit" of the spy series.

Sony's distribution rights for James Bond films ended with the release of the latest entry, 2015's Spectre, leading to multiple studios and companies vying for the rights. Sources close to the deal said that Apple and Amazon are willing to spend "in the same ballpark" as Warner Bros, "if not much more," in order to beef up their respective streaming businesses. Besides these companies, Universal and Fox are also pursuing the rights to the franchise.

daniel craig bond image

Daniel Craig as James Bond via 007.com

The deal is said to include the streaming rights to the entire James Bond film back catalogue, and potentially even "the future of the franchise." In recent James Bond news, Daniel Craig confirmed he'll be back to play the titular character in future movies.

But the emergence of Apple — which is considered such a viable competitor that Warners is now pressing MGM hard to close a deal — and Amazon shows that the digital giants consider Bond one of the last untapped brands (like a Marvel, Pixar or Lucasfilm) that could act as a game-changer in the content space. Apple’s and Amazon’s inclusion in the chase would indicate that more is on the table than film rights, including the future of the franchise if MGM will sell or license out for the right price.

Newly hired Apple executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are said to be spearheading the effort to acquire the James Bond franchise on Apple's behalf. Those close to the deal estimate that the property could be worth somewhere between $2 billion and $5 billion.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
john ternus on stage

Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO

Monday October 6, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Jeff Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Leaks Reveal What Apple Products Are Coming Next

Friday October 3, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
On this episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the latest leaks about the next-generation iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Studio Display, and Vision Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, an apparent unboxing video of an updated iPad Pro with the M5 chip was shared online. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...

Top Rated Comments

555gallardo Avatar
106 months ago
James Bond, now with more watch bands.
The name's Band. James Band.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheHateMachine Avatar
106 months ago
James Bond, now with more watch bands.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
555gallardo Avatar
106 months ago
Sep 6th 2017: Apple buys rights for James Bond franchise
Sep 6th 2027: Apple discontinues James Bond franchise after 10 years since acquiring rights
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KazKam Avatar
106 months ago
The franchise does need something new. It is hilarious when the parody (Kingsmen) is more enjoyable than the original franchise.
I wouldn't call Kingsmen a parody at all. It was clearly written to stand on its own. However, I would call The Brothers Grimsby somewhat of a parody of Kingsmen.

Austin Powers, now that was a parody of Bond films.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartinAppleGuy Avatar
106 months ago
Should have went for Mission Impossible instead. Seeing them go to use Surface Pros as there only computers in Rogue Nation put me consistently on the edge of my seat waiting for them to rage quit and throw it like the NFL players did or have updates 1 of 300 installed haha
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
106 months ago
I'm shaken, not stirred by this news.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)