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Amazon buying MGM for $8.45B

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  • Registered Users Posts: 17,822 ✭✭✭✭silverharp


    have they used the dreaded word "reimaginings" in relation to reboots?

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



  • Registered Users Posts: 60,184 ✭✭✭✭Agent Coulson


    Stephen Colbert did a piece on this and well you never know.



    Colbert “Holy mother of DVD extras! The private footage of a TV billionaire is going to belong to an actual billionaire,”

    The Apprentice is part of this deal and Trump went after Bezos a lot when President, Did Bezos buy this just the get the outtakes from The Apprentice that are long believed to show Trump at his racist worst.



  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,033 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Stephen Colbert did a piece on this and well you never know.

    MGM owns Mark Burnett's production company.

    Colbert “Holy mother of DVD extras! The private footage of a TV billionaire is going to belong to an actual billionaire,”

    The Apprentice is part of this deal and Trump went after Bezos a lot when President, Did Bezos buy this just the get the outtakes from The Apprentice that are long believed to show Trump at his racist worst.

    I think it's a lot more likely that they just want the back catalogues and IP.


  • Registered Users Posts: 60,184 ✭✭✭✭Agent Coulson


    I think it's a lot more likely that they just want the back catalogues and IP.

    Don't go past petty Billionaires trying to one up each other it's human nature to get revenge along with making a lot of money from it.

    It was Trumps men at The National Enquirer that tried to blackmail Bezos over his affair and he doubled down and went public with it himself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 60,184 ✭✭✭✭Agent Coulson


    “If you saw this morning’s announcement, we are looking forward to welcoming MGM to the Amazon fold,” Bezos told shareholders at the company’s previously scheduled annual meeting.

    “We are really excited about MGM,” the founder and outgoing CEO said, touting the library of over 4,000 films and 7,000 television shows.

    “The acquisition thesis here is really very simple. MGM has a vast, deep catalogue of much beloved intellectual property. And with the talent at Amazon and the talent at MGM Studio, we can reimagine and develop that IP for the 21st century. It will be a lot of fun work and people who love stories will be the big beneficiaries.”


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    I'm old enough to remember when MGM was a few Hotel/casino's in Las Vegas, having completely lost the plot making films. They were completely unprepared for the whole counter culture, youth movement and change in morals so had no product for the new market as the old one stayed at home watching McMillan and Wife. Kirk Kerkorian both killed it and saved it as he sold it, bought it, sold it again and bought it again before selling it and buying it! Every time he managed to buy back a better company as it had been made more valuable through sales of stuff not needed and acquisitions of various smaller studios and other entertainment companies. In the end though it was buying UA in 1981 that probably allowed MGM to survive as it meant they had the Bond series plus a high quality Oscar leaden back catalog.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,033 ✭✭✭OU812


    Here's the top performing MGM movies

    10 of the top 20 are Bond. They really need to get EON on board.

    Of the initial top 10, in terms of spin off potential,
    Maybe a "Gone With The Wind" mini series, big budget, huge scale, although racism will be tough to get around.
    Rocky is pretty much done
    Creed has one more movie in the series
    Legally Blonde is getting a third one (actually a 4th but don't discuss the existing 3rd)
    Stargate has a lot of potential in terms of TV spinoff & possibly a movie reboot, although it would be much better having old cast return & hand the reigns to a new TV cast in the process.

    There's not a whole lot else there that they can work with. They do have a lot of TV though


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,724 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    Said in the off topic thread, but I'd put good money on RoboCop being top of the pile for a (another) reboot


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,439 ✭✭✭brevity


    You are all forgetting James Bond Jr.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,566 ✭✭✭Need a Username


    OU812 wrote: »
    Here's the top performing MGM movies

    10 of the top 20 are Bond. They really need to get EON on board.

    Of the initial top 10, in terms of spin off potential,
    Maybe a "Gone With The Wind" mini series, big budget, huge scale, although racism will be tough to get around.
    Rocky is pretty much done
    Creed has one more movie in the series
    Legally Blonde is getting a third one (actually a 4th but don't discuss the existing 3rd)
    Stargate has a lot of potential in terms of TV spinoff & possibly a movie reboot, although it would be much better having old cast return & hand the reigns to a new TV cast in the process.

    There's not a whole lot else there that they can work with. They do have a lot of TV though

    get EON on board with what?

    None the reports on this that I have read as that James Bond is not part of the deal.

    Apple and Comcast were bidding too but obviously not willingly to go that high.

    No studio left for Apple to take over.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,415 ✭✭✭touts


    Given the utter sh1te they have on the Irish version versus the rest of the world we'll probably just get Casino Royale. The one with Woody Allen.....

    And maybe a Bollywood remake of Rocky.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,863 ✭✭✭mikhail


    touts wrote: »
    Given the utter sh1te they have on the Irish version versus the rest of the world we'll probably just get Casino Royale. The one with Woody Allen.....
    That's actually Sony. :)
    And maybe a Bollywood remake of Rocky.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_(1981_film) :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 60,184 ✭✭✭✭Agent Coulson


    Sly already has plans for a Rocky series so that could happen.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,566 ✭✭✭Need a Username


    I hope this leads to an overhaul of the Prime Video interface otherwise it won’t matter much as the MGM library will list in the mess.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Wrongway1985


    I hope this leads to an overhaul of the Prime Video interface otherwise it won’t matter much as the MGM library will list in the mess.

    Well they made some adjustments recently they were utterly worthless they are having a laugh at this stage. Can't fathom a wealth of people vying for a watch it again section.

    There's a film called Wasteland (which is also known as the Rise) which states Vanessa Kirby and Iwan Rheon in cast looked it up and decided to watch. What came on was not that movie but a low budget horror, I now can't clear from new continue watching section.


  • Registered Users Posts: 502 ✭✭✭Full_Circle_81


    get EON on board with what?

    None the reports on this that I have read as that James Bond is not part of the deal.

    Apple and Comcast were bidding too but obviously not willingly to go that high.

    No studio left for Apple to take over.

    I think there was talk of Sony being in the mix at some point, since they don't have a streaming service themselves. But their recent deals with Netflix and Disney probably got rid of any chance of that happening....


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,566 ✭✭✭Need a Username


    Well they made some adjustments recently they were utterly worthless they are having a laugh at this stage. Can't fathom a wealth of people vying for a watch it again section.

    There's a film called Wasteland (which is also known as the Rise) which states Vanessa Kirby and Iwan Rheon in cast looked it up and decided to watch. What came on was not that movie but a low budget horror, I now can't clear from new continue watching section.

    It has the worst layout.

    Episode of Vikings regularly become unplayable. Search for the walking Dead and you get college humour parodies first and the show itself comes up multiple times.

    And whenever I sit down to watch Man in the High Castle it keeps defaulting to play season 4


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,566 ✭✭✭Need a Username


    I think there was talk of Sony being in the mix at some point, since they don't have a streaming service themselves. But their recent deals with Netflix and Disney probably got rid of any chance of that happening....

    I heard about the deal but haven’t thought to read about it

    Was that Netflix gets a first run of every new release movie but that after that Disney+ will the permanent home for the Sony catalog ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 502 ✭✭✭Full_Circle_81


    I heard about the deal but haven’t thought to read about it

    Was that Netflix gets a first run of every new release movie but that after that Disney+ will the permanent home for the Sony catalog ?

    Yep, its something mad like that!


  • Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭head82


    Interesting article from Forbes re the buyout:

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/05/26/amazon-buys-mgm---but-heres-why-you-still-wont-find-wizard-of-oz-or-gone-with-the-wind-on-there/?sh=4477e666f4ca

    It seems anything from the MGM archives pre 1986 is not included in the deal.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,550 ✭✭✭ShineOn7


    head82 wrote: »

    It seems anything from the MGM archives pre 1986 is not included in the deal.


    That would include the first 4 Rocky films


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,388 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    ShineOn7 wrote: »
    That would include the first 4 Rocky films

    No the article says they've United Artists archive (rather than MGM) so included in the deal.

    Media mogul Ted Turner bought MGM in 1985 and then subsequently sold the company’s production and distribution assets in 1986, along with United Artists—but kept control of MGM’s library of all its films from before May 1986, which includes more than 2,000 titles.

    In addition to the Golden Age films, that gave Turner control over later classics like Fame and A Christmas Story as well—but not UA movies like the Rocky and James Bond franchises, which would now be part of the potential Amazon deal

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 60,184 ✭✭✭✭Agent Coulson


    Labor Union Coalition Lobbies FTC To Block Amazon-MGM Deal: Sees “Harmful Vertical Integration In Film Industry”


    The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a federation of labor unions repping close to 4 million workers, Wednesday called on the Federal Trade Commission to reject Amazon’s proposed $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM as a newly vigilant FTC is in the process of scrutinizing the deal that was announced in May.

    In a letter sent to the acting director of the FTC’s Competition Bureau, Holly Vedova, SOC Executive Director Michael Zucker claims that Amazon has already employed anti-competitive practices in the streaming video-on-demand market and the proposed deal would let it further leverage its power to the detriment of consumers, competitors and the film industry. SOC (formerly Change to Win) includes the Teamsters, Communications Workers of American (CWA), United Farmworkers of America and Service Employees International Union.........




  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,724 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    The deal has closed: Amazon own MGM now and its 4000 films. Wonder, other than Bond, what they're eyeing for remakes and whatnot.




  • Registered Users Posts: 374 ✭✭Useless Lump


    It would be nice if Amazon spent a little money fixing the app so that we can find and watch all MGM movies.



  • Registered Users Posts: 10,501 ✭✭✭✭Slydice


    Well.. lemme see if there are any hints I can pull outta the mgm wiki page..

    It's got a film library section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer#Film_library

    Lemme see.. I imagine execs would look at the two (USA and International) top-20 highest grossing lists.

    So.. money makers..

    • James Bond
    • Rocky (and Creed)
    • GI Joe
    • Legally Blonde .. I never watched these.. I.. I just can't muster the motivation
    • The Pink Panther
    • Robocop
    • The Addams Family


    Let me see if anything jumps out of the film list..

    • Poltergeist .. Never really watched these but got the feeling they had a following
    • All Dogs Go to Heaven .. no you shut up.. you're crying.. they are all Good Dogs OK!
    • Stargate
    • Tomb Raider


    and the other full list of films pages (so many)..

    • Gone with the Wind .. like.. it jumped out at me but.. I don't know if they could do anything with it
    • Tarzan films
    • Dunkirk .. from 1958.. lol didn't know the new one was a reboot 😁
    • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
    • Ben Hur .. and a bunch of other Ancient times films
    • Don Quixote .. ya what now? A 1957 Soviet version? That MGM owns?
    • Aladdin
    • 2001 A Space Odyssey .. though in the list for 2010 it says WB own the rights
    • Captain Nemo
    • Get Carter
    • Logan's Run
    • Network
    • Clash of the Titans
    • Red Sonja
    • Spaceballs
    • Rain Man
    • Delta Force
    • Lord of War
    • The Brothers Grimm

    United Artists list:

    • Brewster's Millions
    • 12 Angry Men
    • The Black Stallion films
    • Valkyrie

    Orion list:

    • Mississippi Burning
    • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
    • Great Balls of Fire!

    They have so many films, I scroll/skimmed really fast and I probably have skipped over some good ones that I just don't know/remember


    Up front for what I know..

    Creed is getting another film. It's already in progress.

    Robocop .. I don't think there's any work being done on Robocop but I got excited by Sam Esmail (director) having a Robocop reference in one of the final Mr Robot episodes.. that's just me wishful thinking though.



    At a guess I'd say Legally Blonde and Stargate to my mind feel like the money makers that have been untapped for a while.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,724 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    Stargate was my first thought when you listed those properties; the IP has been in weird limbo of late. Very popular and a mainstay of TV Sci-Fi throughout the 2000s yet has been fallow since that failed attempt at a BSG style show with SG Universe. Sci-Fi is back in vogue and could see runway for a canny reboot from Amazon.

    There was a new RoboCop in gestation, headed IIRC by Neil Blomkamp but that has come to nothing. We already had a reboot attempt and can't see another any time soon.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,033 ✭✭✭OU812


    Several of those movies lend themselves to tv dramas.

    Gone with the wind could be a massive tv show set outside the house referencing the main characters but not seeing them (or recast).


    007 lends itself to several tv spin offs focused on different characters.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 35,724 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    Presumably, the Broccoli's are the ones who have the final say on what format James Bond exists as; they've been quite vocal it wouldn't be turned into a TV show - though maybe they'd soften on some spin-offs (but then that raises the question if the universe is remotely interesting enough to shoulder side stories), or indeed a suitably large dump-truck of Amazon money.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 18,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    The only film out of that list that I wouldn't mind seeing a reboot of would be 'Logan's Run'. I guess Villeneuve might do a decent job of it.

    The rest are best left as they are and a number have already been subject to failed remakes/reboots.



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