How much does a James Bond license to kill cost? Well, Amazon MGM paid $20 million for creative control of the 007 series.
Earlier this year, longtime Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli exited the company, handing creative control to Amazon MGM. The three entities, Wilson, Broccoli, and Amazon MGM, formed a joint venture to store intellectual property rights and allow all three parties to remain co-owners of the property.
A recent earnings report for Wilson and Broccoli’s company, Aeon Productions, revealed the cost of doing business, which is far less than the $1 billion originally reported. “On February 20, 2025, the company entered into an agreement for the sale of its interest in the debt franchise, all related assets, and its subsidiaries B24 Limited and B25 Limited. The total sale consideration amounted to $20 million (US$),” the report said. However, the exact structure of the deal is unclear and could include stock options or profit sharing that would significantly increase the Broccoli family’s dividend.
After Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion in 2021, the company acquired the rights to distribute all James Bond movies. However, the technology company only owned 50% of the series and was relegated to a reluctant partner when it came to artistic choices. Shortly after the joint venture was announced, Amy Pascal and David Heyman were tapped to produce the next Bond film. Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve was recently tapped to direct, and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight was tapped to write the screenplay.
But it’s still unclear who will play the tuxedo-wearing, martini-drinking secret agent after Daniel Craig’s highly successful tenure ends with 2021’s No Time to Die.
