 | |
| Company type | Private (limited withshare capital)[1] |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment Film |
| Founded | 6 July 1961; 64 years ago (1961-07-06) |
| Founders | Albert R. Broccoli Harry Saltzman |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Michael G. Wilson Barbara Broccoli |
| Products | James Bond film series |
| Website | eon |
Eon Productions Limited is a Britishfilm production company that primarily produced theJames Bond film series. The company is based in London'sPiccadilly and also operates fromPinewood Studios in the UK.
Eon was started by film producersAlbert R. "Cubby" Broccoli andHarry Saltzman in July 1961, at the same time they became partners and sought financing forDr. No. The year before they formedDanjaq, which for legal reasons became Eon's holding company, from which it licenses the rights to produce theBond films.
Broccoli had been interested in theBond novel rights for several years but was dissuaded from pursuing the project by his former partner. When they dissolved their relationship he was free to pursue the property, for which Saltzman, a novice to film production, had taken a gamble to acquire. The two were introduced by aNew York writer who was acquainted with both, and formed a partnership within a week of meeting. The enterprise was and is still a family business, including both wives of the principal partners, as well as several of their progeny, the latter group now carrying on their parents' work. Albert almost immediately includedDana Broccoli's college-aged sonMichael G. Wilson in the early films, doing various production jobs.
In 1975, after nine films, Harry Saltzman sold his shares of Danjaq toUnited Artists (UA). Although Albert R. Broccoli died in 1996, Eon Productions is still owned by the Broccoli family, specifically Albert R. Broccoli's daughter,Barbara Broccoli, and his stepson and her half-brother by actress Dana Wilson Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, who are the current producers of the films.
In February 2025,Amazon MGM Studios and Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced the formation of a joint venture that would manage the franchise rights to James Bond, giving Amazon MGM full creative control from the Broccoli family.[2]
Albert R. Broccoli's name has appeared in the opening "presents" credit of every Eon-producedJames Bond film, and as the first name in the credits fromThe Spy Who Loved Me onwards. FromDr. No throughThe Man with the Golden Gun, the credit was "Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli present"; for some films Broccoli came first. After Saltzman left, the opening credit was "Albert R. Broccoli presents" through toGoldenEye, which was the last film produced before Broccoli's death, even after Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson replaced him as producers. On all films since Broccoli's death, the opening credit is "Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions presents", with "Ltd." usually added after "Productions" in the film proper.[3]
The 1965 filmThunderball differs from the others in how it credits Saltzman and Broccoli; due to a legal agreement withKevin McClory related to the rights to Ian Fleming's original novel, McClory received producer credit on the film, with Saltzman and Broccoli credited as executive producers. This agreement also gave McClory the rights to remakeThunderball in the future, resulting in the 1983 non-Eon production,Never Say Never Again. McClory would attempt to remake the story a second time in the 1990s, but was prevented from doing so. In 1999, Eon picked up the rights to theCasino Royale novel after a lawsuit betweenMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) andSony Pictures ended as part of a trade deal that saw Sony acquiring MGM's interest in theSpider-Man film rights.[4]
The copyrights and trademarks for the film properties which began withDr. No, are held by Danjaq and United Artists Corporation; United Artists was bought by MGM in 1981, but as an MGM subsidiary its name still appears in Bond copyright and trademark disclaimers.Casino Royale (2006),Quantum of Solace (2008),Skyfall (2012) andSpectre (2015) were co-distributed withSony Pictures Releasing through itsColumbia Pictures label.[5] With the revival of United Artists – formed as a joint venture between MGM andAnnapurna Pictures under the labelUnited Artists Releasing – as well as the expiration of Columbia Pictures' deal with the Bond franchise, the distribution ofNo Time to Die (2021) is shared between United Artists Releasing (domestically) andUniversal Pictures (internationally), while Danjaq retains the essential rights to the film.
The distribution rights for all of Eon's films are owned byMGM Home Entertainment, and were controlled by MGM's distributorWarner Bros. Home Entertainment (previously20th Century Fox Home Entertainment).[3][6]Sony Pictures Home Entertainment initially assumed the home video rights toCasino Royale, but the 2012 home video editions of this film were issued by MGM and 20th Century Fox.[3] Since 2020, WBHE took over the home entertainment distribution rights to the Bond films after MGM ended their home media agreement with Fox in June 2020, excluding the home media release ofNo Time to Die (which was released in 2021 and was handled byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment, although both companies own a joint venture calledStudio Distribution Services).[7][8]
TheBond films produced by Eon Productions are:
Other production companies were responsible for theBond productionsCasino Royale (1967) andNever Say Never Again (1983).Never Say Never Again is a remake ofThunderball.[citation needed]
Since its first film,Dr. No in 1962, Eon has made eight non-Bond films. Saltzman and Broccoli produced other films separately: Broccoli produced the filmChitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on a book byIan Fleming; Saltzman produced several non-Bond films during this time includingThe Ipcress File andBattle of Britain.
Other non-Bond projects from either 1963 or 1964 –The Marriage Game written byTerry Southern and to have been directed byPeter Yates[9][10] andThe Pass Beyond Kashmir based on the novel byBerkely Mather – did not go into production.[11]
In 2008, Eon signed a deal with Columbia Pictures to develop fifteen thrillers and family films outside theBond franchise, with budgets of up to $80 million (£40 million). The company hopes the move will allow more British writers to establish themselves in the United States.[12]
Eon Productions produced the adaptation of Mark Burnell's first book in theStephanie Patrick series, titledThe Rhythm Section. StarringBlake Lively and directed byReed Morano, and distributed byParamount Pictures.[13][14] The film was released on 31 January 2020.[15]
The non-Bond films produced by Eon Productions are:
Eon has made several theatre productions,[17] includingChitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on a book byIan Fleming, andOthello, starringDaniel Craig.
James Bond in film | |
|---|---|
| Eon Productions |
|
| Non-Eon films |
|
| Cast/characters | |
| Related | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
