💰Amazon MGM Studios Drops $1 Billion Dollars To Take Control Of The James Bond Franchise

In today’s newsletter we discuss Amazon MGM Studios drops $1 billion dollars to take control of the James Bond franchise, Celsius acquires social media darling Alani Nu, the last trailer for the ‘Last Breath’ just dropped, the SEC drops Coinbase case, Meta/Facebook is building a 50,000 kilometers subsea fiber optic cable, and ESPN and MLB are parting ways at the end of 2025.

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💰Amazon MGM Studios Drops $1 Billion Dollars To Take Control Of The James Bond Franchise

The James Bond franchise has found a new forever home at Amazon MGM Studios, after the studio paid a reported $1 billion dollars for creative control of the James Bond franchise from producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who along with Amazon MGM will continue to share the intellectual property rights of the franchise.

With Amazon MGM Studios securely in the driver’s seat, they will be responsible for determining the next phase of the franchise. This includes the decision of who will be the next James Bond, after Daniel Craig completed his tenure with his last appearance in the 25th James Bond film"No Time to Die" that was released in 2021.

There have been no shortage of rumored replacements, including at one time Idris Elba who would have been the first black actor to assume the mantle of James Bond. Also on the list of fan-favorites to take on the role include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Josh O’Connor, Jonathan Bailey, and Regé-Jean Page to name a few.

When Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, posted the question “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” on his Instagram, the fan favorites included Henry Cavill as the top choice, along with Tom Cruise, James McAvoy and Tom Hardy.

In a recent interview before the deal with Amazon was announced, Barbara Broccoli mentioned that the next Bond would most likely be a man in his 30s, but that it was “not a given he'd be white”. That said, she’s hinted recently that Taylor-Johnson was in the lead to be cast.

A decision is expected very soon, seeing as though Amazon MGM Studios wants to get started on the next Bond 26 ASAP!

🍹 Business

Celsius Holdings is expanding its market presence by acquiring Alani Nutrition for $1.65 billion, a move designed to create a dominant "better-for-you" functional lifestyle platform in the energy drink sector. The acquisition will combine two rapidly growing brands, particularly targeting female consumers with Alani Nu's established social media influence.

The combined companies aim to capitalize on the increasing consumer preference for zero-sugar alternatives. According to a report by KM&A, “Alani Nu thrives on building genuine connections with its audience by actively engaging with fans on social media. They regularly comment on posts, share user-generated content, and respond to mentions, creating a sense of community and approachability.”

🎬 Entertainment

The last trailer for the new film Last Breath just dropped, and it took my breath away (couldn’t help the pun). The movie stars Woody Harrelson, and comes out on February 28.

💻 Tech

You know what the world really needs right now amid economic turmoil and raging political fights? If you guessed another undersea fiber optic cable, then you’re in luck, because Meta/Facebook is building a 50,000 kilometers subsea fiber optic cable. They're calling it "Project Waterworth," because apparently all of the cool sounding project names were already taken.

Meta/Facebook isn’t alone in the race to litter the bottom of the ocean with fiber optic cables. Google has their own collection of subaquatic spaghetti, and has been laying cables for years in an effort to control the world’s information.

According to some reports, there are approximately 600  active submarine fiber optic cables running along the ocean floor, carrying the majority of the world's internet traffic between continents; these cables are often referred to as "undersea cables" or "submarine cables".

🪙 Crypto

Could the SEC finally be on the right side of history by ending their 'bogus' enforcement cases against crypto exchanges like Coinbase?

That’s what many are hoping, with the SEC’s latest move to drop its enforcement case against Coinbase, and not impose any fines.

I would have loved a “Sorry, we messed up.” apology from the SEC, but this is a good first step.

⚾ Sports

ESPN and Major League Baseball have decided to ‘mutually’ terminate their current deal at the end of the 2025 season.

In 2021 both sides agreed to a 7 year deal, with ESPN paying MLB on average $550 million per season for the rights to air their games.

ESPN has scaled back their coverage of MLB in recent years, as the sport of baseball has seen a steady decline in viewership. New streamers have signed agreements in recent years with MLB, including Apple and Roku for significantly less than ESPN was paying, so there could still be an opportunity for ESPN to negotiate a new deal in the future for a slimmed down package of games; that is if people stick around to actually watch baseball in the future.

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irl Media NEWSLETTER is written, edited, and published by Chris Thompson.