New Bond movie?
Tapio Keih{nen
haven't stop making them...
My name is Keih{nen - Tapio Keih{nen.
John Heiden UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO COMPUTER CONSULTANT
I guess that is the $4000 question of the year.
The company that distributes and co-owns the rights to the Bond films, is
presently in a financial flux. (Read that as, they are in BIG trouble
financially.) I've heard that MGM/UA/PATHE does WANT another Bond film.
But due to financial difficulties, it's quite possible that LICENCE TO KILL
will be the last one. Quite possible that MGM/UA/PATHE may not be in business
much longer either. All of their recent releases have been duds (save for
THELMA AND LOUISE, even if not great box office).
I remember hearing a small rumor recently that said that DISNEY was/is
interested in purchasing United Artists (UA). If that is true, I would
suspect that they WOULD continue the Bond series, as it would allow
many merchandising and theme park possibilities. But as I believe
Warner has some previous existing rights to a purchase should they occur,
I wouldn't count on that either.
In any case, there is NO POSSIBILITY of a new Bond film being released before
early to mid summer of 1992 any more! None! And, as I read that there is NO
definite script yet, I doubt the possibility of a Summer '92 release as well.
Why not join the 007 fan club? I think they probably have better info than I
do. But as I'm not a member, I can't say that with any certainty, and don't
have an address.
John Heiden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Heiden
CSCO...@Uoft02.UTOLEDO.EDU The University of Toledo
CSCO...@Uoft02.BITNET Toledo, Ohio U.S.A.
Peter Reiher
>I wonder if there's a new James Bond movie coming out? Hope they
>haven't stop making them...
The continuance of the series is in doubt. The major problem is that it is
a UA series. UA is currently part of MGM/UA, and MGM/UA is in deep, deep
financial trouble. It has been for years, but it looks like the final act
might be rolling around. MGM/UA was stripped of almost all of its assets
during the seventies and eighties by Kirk Kirkorian, a genius at making
deals but not such a great studio owner. He sold the studio backlot, the
MGM film library, and almost all of MGM's other tangible assets. Finally,
Kirkorian sold the hollow shell of MGM to an Italian named Paretti. All
that was left was a rented office building, a few development contracts with
certain producers and directors, a handful of unreleased films, two successful
series (Bond and Rocky), the UA library from about the 1960's on, and the
logos. (A few other things, like a staff, membership in industry organizations,
membership in an overseas distribution deal, etc., but not an awful lot.)
Paretti financed the high purchase price largely through borrowed money,
though he also sold off rights to the most valuable remaining asset, the UA
library.
This last sale directly impacts the original question about the
future of James Bond - Paretti sold TV rights to the existing Bond films for
what amounted to a pittance, and the producer of the Bond series, Cubby
Brocolli, has a profit participation in those rights. He was well and
truly pissed about getting rooked out of a signficant amount of money, and
was planning to sue. I don't know if he actually has. Given the poor
US performance of the last two Bond films (they did very well in Europe and
Asia, however) and the skyrocketing costs of making the films, and Brocolli's
advanced age, I'm not sure if we'll see another Bond film.
Meanwhile, shortly after getting control of MGM/UA, Paretti ran into trouble
with the bank that loaned him the money, Credit Lyonnaise, a French bank
with a reputation for financing films and studios. He needed to borrow more
and more money from them to keep the studio afloat, and they ran out of
confidence. So he got sacked from day to day operations of the studio.
Alan Ladd Jr. is currently head of production for MGM/UA. Ladd has a
tremendous reputation in Hollywood, but it's probably too late for him to
save MGM/UA. Their thin slate of existing films has proven to be a bust.
("Thelma & Louise" made some money, but never broke out to be a major hit.
"Life Stinks" sunk with little trace. Now "Delirious" is doing the same.
"Rocky V" bombed in the US, and, while doing better overseas, did not offer
much hope that that series has any life left.) They have no new films currently
shooting. No one wants to bring projects to them since, after all, the studio
may disappear from under the film. There's not much left to sell, and the
debts are high. The lion may have roared its last roar.
Peter Reiher
rei...@onyx.jpl.nasa.gov
. . . cit-vax!elroy!jato!jade!reiher
Jeff Meyer
>I remember hearing a small rumor recently that said that DISNEY was/is
>interested in purchasing United Artists (UA). If that is true, I would
>suspect that they WOULD continue the Bond series, as it would allow
>many merchandising and theme park possibilities.
Ah, yes -- the KISS-KISS BANG-BANG ride. "That'll be 10 E-tickets, and no
one below the age of puberty will be admitted."
"You know, I'm beginning to think that the Right To
Life movement in this country believes that life
officially begins when you agree with *them*."
-- Dennis Miller
---
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
INTERNET: mori...@tc.fluke.COM
Manual UUCP: {uunet, uw-beaver, sun, microsoft, hplsla}!fluke!moriarty
CREDO: You gotta be Cruel to be Kind...
<*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>
Jeff Meyer
out there -- they look for quality prints of great old films (especially
musicals), letterbox them if they're widescreen, put on extra material like
trailers, travelogues and cartoons, and sell them for very darn cheap. They
managed (through a miracle somewhat akin to Lazarus' "Honey, I'm home!"
trick) to keep some of their staff together after the Pathe buyout; but who
knows what happens now.
Death to corporate raiders...
"Hello. My name is Inigo
Montoya. You killed my
father. Prepare to die."
"Hello. My name is Bruce
Wayne. You killed my
father. Prepare to die."
"Hello. My name is
Hamlet. You killed my
father and married my
mother. Should I do
something about it or
not?"
"Hello. My name is
Oedipus. I killed my
father and married my
mother. Prepare to be
grossed out as I rip
out my eyes."
-- Tom Galloway