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In a James Bond shakeup that stirred the film industry, Amazon MGM has announced that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they would be stepping back. Amazon MGM Studios, Wilson and Broccoli formed a new joint venture in which they will co-own James Bond intellectual property rights but Amazon MGM will have creative control. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The deal is expected to close sometime this year. With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects, Wilson said in a statement on Thursday evening. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future. Amazon bought MGM Studios in 2022 for USD 6.1 billion, a purchase that was significantly motivated by the acquisition of one of the .
Pierce Brosnan, whose fictitious movie character James Bond has been in hot water plenty of times, is now facing heat in real life, charged with stepping out of bounds in a thermal area during a recent visit to Yellowstone National Park. Brosnan walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on November 1, according to two federal citations issued Tuesday. Brosnan, 70, is scheduled for a mandatory court appearance on January 23 in the courtroom of the world's oldest national park. The Associated Press sent a request for comment to his Instagram account Thursday, and email messages to his agent and attorney. Yellowstone officials declined to comment. Brosnan was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the US Attorney's Office for Wyoming said. Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs bubbling from a hillside. They're just some of the park's hundreds of thermal features, whi
Amazon is going Hollywood. The online shopping giant is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, Legally Blonde" and Shark Tank," with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch. Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it the company's second-largest acquisition after it bought grocer Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion in 2017. The deal is the latest in the media industry that's aimed at boosting streaming services to compete against Netflix and Disney+. AT&T and Discovery announced on May 17 that they would combine media companies, creating a powerhouse that includes HGTV, CNN, Food Network and HBO. Amazon doesn't say how many people watch its Prime Video service. But more than 200 million have access to it because they're signed up for its Prime membership, which gives them faster shipping and other perks. Besides Prime Video, Amazon also has a free streaming service called IMDb TV, where Amazon makes money by playing ads ...