JAMES BOND 25 IN DOUBT ONCE AGAIN

MGM CEO Gary Barber has been fired by the studio’s board of directors — just five months after he signed a new contract that runs through 2022. MGM Holdings made the announcement Monday evening, saying it had initiated a CEO transition and and executive search for Barber’s successor. The company said Barber had led MGM “with distinction over the past eight years.”

And now amongst all this The Hollywood Reporter are claiming that the next James Bond movie may be pushed back -  As the dust settles on MGM CEO Gary Barber's sudden March 19 ouster, eyes are turning to the studio's future, a possible sale and what happens to the James Bond franchise.

Many observers assumed that Megan Ellison's Annapurna had long ago locked up a domestic rights deal to the mega-franchise, but insiders say that is not the case. Neither domestic nor international rights (where Warners' Kevin Tsujihara is said to be the frontrunner) have been closed, leaving a question mark with only 19 months till the Nov. 8, 2019, release.

So why the delay? MGM is holding off because it is using the Bond rights as a carrot for whoever wants to buy the studio, a knowledgable source tells The Hollywood Reporter. After Barber's exit, MGM has been coy about whether or not it's for sale or if the company is finding a new CEO (the fact that there is no urgency in replacing Barber would signal that MGM is, in fact, in sale mode).

Sony is said to be interested in buying the studio and has the cash on hand to pounce. The MGM library generates about $300 million a year in revenue, and the Bond franchise is said to be worth between $1 billion and $3 billion. With a $1 billion valuation on MGM's most recent buy, the pay cabler Epix, the studio's price tag should exceed $6 billion, say sources familiar with the company's financials.


With Danny Boyle set to direct the next Bond movie and Daniel Craig lined up to play the iconic role once again, MGM will have to move fast if they are to make their release date of 2019. However the studio declined comment on Boyle's deal as well as the status of its distribution pacts, which once again throws the Bond movie into doubt.

If there is a delay of even a year, this could mean that Daniel Craig, who is not keen on the role of 007, may not return. He's already threatened to quit the part

MGM OFFICIALLY BACK ON TRACK - BOND WON'T BE FAR BEHIND

"MGM is emerging from one of the most challenging periods of its storied history," Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, executives at MGM said in a media provided statement. "We are honoured and inspired at the opportunity of leading one of Hollywood's most iconic studios into its next generation."

However MGM said that its first batch of film, those already shot, will not see cinemas until 2012 which means that 2013 will be the earliest we will see the next James Bond movie. Will Daniel Craig reprise the role? Nobody seems to know but the actor's schedule for the next few years could rule him out if the film goes into production very soon as is expected.

Craig has already signed up for the Hollywood version of Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy - the first of which is currently shooting. That other big MGM movie, The Hobbit will now start shooting in February and MGM are still sticking with a November 2012 release for the next Bond movie which seems to contradict the claims of 2013 for 007 to make his reappearance.

The one definite regarding 007 seems to be that Sam Mendes will direct.

James Bond - new stirrings may see film back in production very soon

There are strong reports circulating that some kind of deal between Spyglass Entertainment and MGM -
The deal is expected to go through within days and Spyglass would be likely to concentrate on pushing through the Bond and Hobbit movies.
MGM owes about $4 billion (£2.5 billion) to around 140 creditors, including a major bank and hedge fund, and has been struggling to pay interest on its debts.
Its library consists of around 4,000 films and its famous roaring lion logo has been seen at the start of classics including Ben-Hur and The Wizard of Oz.
The studio is currently in the hands of a consortium which includes Sony, Comcast and several private equity firms.

MGM TROUBLES MORE FILMS DELAYED

The Hobbit and the James Bond films are on hold indefinately while MGM sorts out its problema and now the remake of Red Dawn, which was already in post-production and booked to appear in cinemas this winter, can be added to the list.

LA Times reports that despite rumors to the contrary, the Red Dawn remake isn’t going to be hitting theaters this November as scheduled. Due to MGM’s bankruptcy, and the studio’s failed attempts to auction off its assets to new investors, there simply isn’t enough financial leverage to put Red Dawn in theaters. As word has it, the film will stay in the can until MGM sorts out its financial woes, or another investor swoops in to take the film off of the studio’s hands.

TIME WARNER EYE UP MGM

The New York Observer is reporting that Time Warner are about to make a bid for troubled MGM - The offer is reportedly $1.5 billion which will get them a 4,100-title library, the James Bond franchise, the Pink Panther franchise, part of the upcoming Hobbit movie, some television channels, and the rights to the show Stargate. FULL STORY