October 24, 2025, 3:40 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
When rights of any kind change hands in the business world or entire companies are acquired, enormous sums are usually involved. It’s all the more surprising what Amazon reportedly paid for James Bond, as the apparent purchase price is almost laughably low. But beware: The devil is in the details, and it’s not as straightforward as it seems.
Did Amazon snag a million-dollar deal with James Bond?
This is now being reported by sources such as “Forbes” based on publicly accessible documents. They also reference other recent reports suggesting Amazon paid a mere $20 million for the rights to James Bond. That’s extremely low, considering the long Bond history since the 1960s and the billions of dollars the film series has grossed so far.
But it’s not that simple. While Amazon has recently spent large sums on various rights, including $250 million for “The Lord of the Rings” to produce the series “The Rings of Power,” Amazon reportedly shelled out about a billion dollars to gain creative control over James Bond.
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Shares of Eon Productions also sold
So why is only a $20 million figure circulating? In reality, this likely represents just a small part of the billion Amazon spent on James Bond. The amount is related to the production company Eon Productions, owned by previous producers and Bond mainstays Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Because in the course of transferring creative control to Amazon, Eon also relinquished its stakes in Bond for that $20 million. However, Eon as a company did not own the rights to the Bond brand and therefore could not receive money for it. In reality, all the trademark and copyright rights were held by the company Danjaq. This was founded in 1962 by the wives of Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli and named after them: Dana and Jacqueline.
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The tax trick with Danjaq
Eon could produce the Bond films, then sell them to Danjaq, and only from there were they distributed. But since Danjaq was based in Switzerland for a long time, the companies involved could save a lot of tax money–and it was all legal. That’s why all relevant rights went to Danjaq and not Eon back then.
Even after Danjaq relocated to the U.S. in the 1990s, the rights remained with the company until Amazon opened its wallet in February 2025. According to “Forbes,” the retail giant not only secured creative control but also the key rights to James Bond.
Amazon has big plans for James Bond. Director Denis Villeneuve (“Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049”) is set to helm the next film, as reported by “Variety.” Who will play the iconic role of 007 next remains unclear. However, there are already specific ideas for the next Bond actor that the filmmaker recently shared.