A EON Productions é a companhia responsável por produzir os filmes de James Bond (007), fundada em 1961 pelos falecidos produtores Albert R. Broccoli (1909-1996) e Harry Saltzman (1915-1994). Em 1975, Saltzman abandonou a empresa, após desentendimentos com o sócio. A partir de 1995, Michael G. Wilson e Barbara Broccoli, respectivamente, enteado e filha de Broccoli assumiram a produção dos filmes de 007.
Além dos filmes do agente secreto, o estúdio também produziu a comédia Call Me Bwana (BR: Rififi no Safári/PT: ???), que não é muito conhecida. Três problemas judiciais atrasaram a produção de novos filmes de 007. O primeiro foi em 1975 (logo após o lançamento de The Man with the Golden Gun (BR: 007 Contra o Homem com a Pistola de Ouro/PT: 007 – O Homem com a Pistola Dourada)), quando Saltzman renunciou à United Artists (uma das co-produtoras da franquia, subsidiária da MGM) seus direitos sobre a série. O segundo ocorreu em 1990 (logo após o lançamento de Licence to Kill (BR: 007 – Permissão Para Matar/PT: 007 – Licença Para Matar)), quando os direitos sobre a personagem James Bond foram parar na justiça, envolvendo inclusive os herdeiros de Ian Fleming (o criador do agente). E o terceiro, foi outra disputa, pelos direitos sobre o Agente no Cinema (em 1999), envolvendo a MGM (co-produtora da franquia), a Sony (que é dona da Columbia, que produziu a comédia Cassino Royale e o produtor Kevin McClory (007 Contra a Chantagem Atômica (1965), e sua refilmagem, o não-oficial 007 – Nunca Mais Outra Vez (1983). No final, a Sony fez um acordo com a MGM, liberando os direitos sobre o Agente, e também o direito de adaptar o livro Cassino Royale, mais os direitos de distribuição da comédia Cassino Royale (1967) (só ressaltando que, a MGM já havia ganho os direitos de distribuição do filme Nunca Mais Outra Vez, em 1997, após adquirir judicialmente a Orion Pictures (que, ao lado da Warner Bros., co-produziu este filme, que concorreu com Octopussy)).
Eon Productions (an abbreviation of Everything or Nothing) is a British film production company that produces the James Bond film series. The company is based in London’s Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom.
Eon, a closely held (public and family) corporation, was started by film producers Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961, at the same time they became partners and sought financing for Dr. No the year before they formed Danjaq, which for legal reasons became Eon’s holding company, from which it licenses the copyright protections allowing Eon to produce the Bond films.
Broccoli had been interested in the Bond 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 a New 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 included Dana Broccoli’s college-aged son Michael G. Wilson in the early films, doing various production jobs. His engineering education was put to use in some of the series’ special effects.
In 1975, after nine films, Harry Saltzman sold his shares of Danjaq to United Artists (the then-current series distributor). 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.
Albert R. Broccoli’s name has appeared in the opening “presents” credit of every Eon-produced James Bond film, and as the first name in the credits from The Spy Who Loved Me onwards. From Dr. No through The Man with the Golden Gun, the credit was “Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman present”; for some films Saltzman came first (and still does in the film itself and/or its original posters), but all present-day printed credits have been changed to list Broccoli first. After Saltzman left, the opening credit was “Albert R. Broccoli presents” through to GoldenEye (the last film made 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.[2]
The copyrights and trademarks for the film properties (beginning with Dr. No) are held by Danjaq and United Artists Corporation; the latter was bought by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 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) and Spectre (2015) were co-distributed with Columbia Pictures (which appeared along with Danjaq and United Artists in their copyright disclaimers).[3]
The video rights for all of Eon’s films are owned by MGM Home Entertainment, and are controlled by MGM’s distributor 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[2][4] Sony Pictures Home Entertainment initially assumed the video rights to Casino Royale, but the 2012 home video editions of this film were issued by MGM and 20th Century Fox.[2]
The Bond films produced by Eon Productions are:
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)
GoldenEye (1995)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Die Another Day (2002)
Casino Royale (2006)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Skyfall (2012)
Spectre (2015)
Bond 25 (2019)
Other production companies were responsible for the Bond productions Casino Royale (1954), Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983); the first is a one-hour TV film produced for an anthology series and the others are feature films produced for the cinema.
Other productions[edit]
Since its first film, Dr. No in 1962, Eon has only made three non-Bond films: Call Me Bwana (1963), starring Bob Hope, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017) and The Rhythm Section (2019). Saltzman and Broccoli produced other films separately: Broccoli produced the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on a book by Ian Fleming; Saltzman produced several non-Bond films during this time including The Ipcress File and Battle of Britain.
Other non-Bond projects from either 1963 or 1964 – The Marriage Game written by Terry Southern and to have been directed by Peter Yates[5][6] and The Pass Beyond Kashmir based on the novel by Berkely Mather – did not go into production.[7]
In 2008, Eon signed a deal with Columbia Pictures to develop fifteen thrillers and family films outside the Bond 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.[8]
Eon Productions is set to produce the upcoming adaptation of Mark Burnell’s first book in the Stephanie Patrick series, titled The Rhythm Section. It will star Blake Lively and will be directed by Reed Morano, and will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.[9][10] The film is set for release on 22 February 2019.[11]
Call Me Bwana (1963)
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017)
The Rhythm Section (2019)
Games[edit]
In 2000, Eon productions served a cease and desist letter to Cheapass Games to stop it from using the name “Mr. Bond” in the title of its game Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond. In 2004, the game was reissued under the title James Ernest’s Totally Renamed Spy Game.