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Ahead Of No Time To Die, Bob Iger Mentions Being Interested In James Bond
A big part of what has made Disney the dominant force in entertainment it is today is how the company gobbled up valuable IP like Thanos collects Infinity Stones. Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm along with 21st Century Fox and all its assets have helped Disney build its empire and they were all brought under the Mouse’s dominion during Bob Iger’s time as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. Now, ahead of No Time To Die, Bob Iger mentions being interested in James Bond, saying:
We're not looking to buy anything right now. But I've always been a huge James Bond fan.
Bob Iger expressing his fandom for 007 isn’t coming out of nowhere. The CEO of the Walt Disney Company is Time Magazine’s Businessperson of the Year. For a profile in the magazine recognizing that distinction, he was asked which IP he would buy if he could. After all, buying valuable IP is the story of Bob Iger’s reign. The three choices he was given for potential purchase were Harry Potter, Gandalf and James Bond.
It’s an odd set of choices, especially given that Gandalf isn’t an analog for the Lord of the Rings IP in the way Harry Potter and James Bond are for theirs, but that’s neither here nor there. To this fantasy, hypothetical question, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company let everyone know that he’s a huge fan of James Bond.
Now before everyone goes photoshopping images with Daniel Craig in Mickey Mouse ears, Bob Iger makes sure to say that Disney isn’t looking to buy anything right now. He’s merely answering a hypothetical question. So although he is interested in James Bond from a fan’s perspective and has a penchant for purchasing big name intellectual property, that doesn’t mean that Bob Iger is looking to acquire James Bond.
Furthermore, if Disney were looking to purchase the property based on Ian Fleming’s novels, Bob Iger probably wouldn’t reveal that bit of information in an interview with a reporter. The rights to James Bond currently belong to EON Productions, which has been behind the film franchise since 1962’s Dr. No.
While Disney’s dominance over the industry, driven by its stable of blockbusters can be concerning for variety and competition in the marketplace, it doesn’t sound like anyone needs to worry about James Bond landing at the Mouse House just yet. For now, we can just know that when we all go check out No Time To Die next year, Bob Iger will be among the fans excited to see Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007.
What will happen after that we do not yet know. But the franchise will presumably be rebooted as it has before, with a new actor receiving the 007 designation. Who that will be is anyone's guess at this point.
