Sony Hack Reveals ‘James Bond’ Film Will Cost $300 Million

Last week, Sony had a huge announcement for the unveiling of the next James Bond film. The studio unleashed a mega press conference, which included the cast members, who hadn’t been announced until then, artwork, and a reveal of the film’s new title — Spectre.

The whole production of the press conference alone was a large affair, so it’s not a surprise to learn that this particular film will cost Sony $300 million, but we’re sure they didn’t want you to know that.

If you don’t want to read a minor spoiler about Spectre, stop reading here.

According to an internal memo by MGM President Jonathan Glickman, so far the budget for the next James Bond film is at $300 million. In the memo, Glickman suggests cutting costs to lessen the budget for the next Bond film.

CNN posted the following memo.

His suggestions show some Hollywood tricks:

Villa in Rome? It’s a nighttime scene, so try doing it in London instead.

There’s fighting on a train! Again! But use fewer carriages — three instead of four.

Forget the dramatic finale in the rain. It’ll lower the cost of visual/special effects.

Earn an extra $6 million by showing “the more modern aspects” of Mexico to maximize “the Mexican incentive.” (The makers of Spectre are getting paid to film there.)

“We recognize that this movie needs to build on the past few films – and there are expectations we must meet for the audience. Still, we must find further cuts,” Glickman says. “This is not about ‘nickel and diming’ the production.”

This is just another hack in a series from a group that’s calling themselves Guardians of Peace. The group has gone to great lengths to embarrass Sony studios and compromise everyone at the company, due to the upcoming release of the film The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

The film’s plot has the two on a chase to assassinate Kim Jong-Un, the current leader of North Korea. Once the first trailer dropped over the summer, North Korea opposed the release of the film, and sources connected to Kim Jong-Un have threatened America. It is heavily believed that the ongoing series of leaks from the Sony hack are connected to North Korean officials, even though they denied their involvement.

That said, considering the last Bond film made $1.1 billion, Sony might not have to worry about lowering their budget — if they’re not still in shambles by the time the film is released.

[Image via Sony Pictures]