James Bond distribution deal agreed with Sony Pictures

The next Bond movie will be distributed by Sony Pictures, the studio that put out the last two 007 films.

Sony will co-finance and distribute the 23rd Bond film - directed by Sam Mendes and due for release on 9 November 2012 - after striking a deal with MGM.

In January it was confirmed Daniel Craig - star of 2006's Casino Royale and 2008's Quantum of Solace - would return in the as yet untitled new film.

The franchise had been on hold because of MGM's financial troubles.

The studio, which will retain distribution rights in some overseas territories, has since emerged from bankruptcy under new ownership.

Casino Royale made $594m (£364m) at the international box office, while Quantum of Solace took $586m (£359m).

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13077851

Paramount Making Strong Moves to Snag 'Bond 23'

Now that MGM has announced a start date for the next James Bond film and set its release for November 2012, the remaining question is which studio will distribute the latest installment of the most venerated, if not most lucrative, of franchises?

At this point, the lead player would appear to be Paramount Pictures, which -- thanks to a close relationship between the studio's top brass and new MGM co-chairmen Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum -- has informally gotten a first crack at the negotiation.

The other contender is Sony Pictures, which successfully released the last two Bond films and is said to be on good terms with the Broccoli family, owner of the Bond rights. Despite that, a knowledgeable source says the Broccolis have approved Paramount as a prospective distributor and that preliminary talks have begun.

Whether Paramount seals the deal -- which is likely to be sorted out in the next couple of weeks -- will depend on what is sure to be a hard-ball negotiation. Given that Barber and Paramount's Rob Moore enjoy tough bargaining, this exchange should be worthy of study at business schools.

Obviously Bond is a jewel in the MGM crown and Birnbaum and Barber will seek to wring more out of this opportunity than just the distribution of one film. Sources speculate that MGM will seek a potentially precedent-shattering distribution fee for Bond and other future films, which could cause Paramount to balk. The most favorable distribution fees run about 8%; that is the rate, for example, that Paramount collects for releasing films from DreamWorks Animation.

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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paramount-making-moves-snag-bond-71581

Bond is Back! Daniel Craig to Return as 007

There were more twists and turns than you would find in some of James Bond's previous movies, but finally, the long-running saga surrounding the future of the famous film franchise has come to an end. And James Bond will return.

A new Bond movie has been greenlit and is due for release on November 9, 2012, according to MGM and EON Productions. And this will neatly coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Dr. No, which most Bond fans would arguably consider the first film (David Niven's Casino Royale was more a spoof than typical Bond flick).

The franchise had been on hold for some time due to financial troubles, as MGM filed for bankruptcy protection last November. And production on the unnamed 23rd installment had already been suspended in April 2010 because of uncertainty over the company's future. But a rescue deal and restructuring plan placed Spyglass Entertainment at the helm of MGM, and now legendary Bond producers, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, as well as MGM and EON, have confirmed the good news that will have brightened many people's week.

So what do we know about the new movie? Crucially, Daniel Craig returns as Bond, and the days of internet disapproval surrounding Craig (to put it kindly) seems to have dissipated with the Brit smoothly inhabiting the role created by Ian Fleming. Indeed, there's a case to be made that he's either on a par with Sean Connery or perhaps even the best actor to take on the role (plus his two movies to date, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, took a ton of money at the box office.) The director is also a Brit, in the form of Sam Mendes, who was long rumored to be helming and expect Dame Judi Dench to return as Bond's boss, M, as she told MTV News as long ago as 2009 that, "I think I'm going to be needed in spring of 2011. That's a message I got."

(See pictures of James Bond.)

But other details will need filling in: Michael Sheen has been linked to the villain's role, which could well be as the infamous Blofeld. But NewsFeed would like to bring to your attention a certain British actor called Simon Russell Beale. Barbara Broccoli has seen him twice in his current West End play Deathtrap and Beale is playing King Lear -- now there's a warm up role for Bond if ever there was one -- for Sam Mendes in a National Theatre production in 2012. And Beale has already told Mendes that, "every actor wants to be in Bond [and] I'd love to be a baddie."

As for the Bond girl, tabloid speculation will surely link Rachel Weisz to Bond 23, if for no other reason than the British newspapers recently splashed headlines that she and Mendes were romantically involved. But rumors, those of both a scurrilous and movie-related nature, are for another day, because Bond is back and the world just got that little bit better. (via BBC)

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/12/bond-is-back-daniel-craig-to-return-as-007/#ixzz1ApODLTno