MGM, recently restructured to ditch its distribution operation, has officially reached an agreement for Sony to handle distribution on the gestating Daniel Craig James Bond flicks.
Because they don't hate making money, MGM clearly never really intended to stop making the well-received Daniel Craig-starring flicks (they're rumored to be considering both Javier Bardem and Anthony Hopkins as the villains in the next installment), but since their restructuring eliminated the company's distribution wing, the ability to get completed films into the hands of your local cineplex was cast into question. Though we made repeated, generous offers to ride around the country in a painted tour bus, delivering the movie to cheering theater-owners, MGM decided to partner with Sony for this particular operation. Go figure.
When the next Bond film (No. 23 in the series - alert Jim Carrey) finally hits, MGM will end up sharing a considerable part of the wealth with partners Sony, but this isn't the first time the two studios have teamed up. The companies have worked together on previous Bond films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, as well as lighter fare including The Pink Panther and the upcoming Kevin James vehicle The Zookeeper.
While Sony stands to make a few bucks on this deal, by no means are they getting away scot-free, as the recently announced terms include bringing MGM in as a co-financier on Sony films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Total Recall and others. Even more interesting is that MGM is said to have a substantial interest in the international television market when it comes to the Total Recall remake, which apparently translates to some serious sheckels.
But that's all just legal mumbo-jumbo, right? What's really important is that everything is in place for our girlfriends, wives and on-the-downlow gay lovers to get back to ogling Daniel Craig sometime next year. If you're interseted in more of the boring stuff, check out Deadline for the full story, but for the rest of you: PARKOUR!
