Some highlights from the article:
"At this point, the lead player would appear to be Paramount Pictures, which--thanks to a close relationship between the studio's top brass and new MGM co-chairmen Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum--has informally gotten a first crack at the negotiation. The other contender is Sony Pictures, which successfully released the last two Bond films and is said to be on good terms with the Broccoli family, owner of the Bond rights. Despite that, a knowledgeable source says the Broccolis have approved Paramount as a prospective distributor and that preliminary talks have begun."
"...A source with knowledge of Paramount's thinking says the studio's position is that the Bond franchise is very attractive but not "life-changing." Obviously that is the posture that any studio would take heading into a negotiation but in this case it is also true. The last two Bond films starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007 (2006's Casino Royale and 2008's Quantum of Solace)each have grossed about $600 million worldwide, but given the cost and profit participations to the Broccoli family and others, the movies do not throw off profit on the order of a Transformers or Iron Man. On the other hand, Marvel now belongs to Disney so Paramount could use a new, guaranteed tentpole. Sony... also could use another tentpole--though it's unclear whether the studio would be interested in distributing other MGM product. The Broccoli family is assumed by many observers to be well disposed toward Sony and co-chairman Amy Pascal, who oversaw the successful reboot of the Bond franchise with Craig. Sources say Sony was open-handed, spending $200 million on the latest film and nearly as much to market it worldwide."
The battle for Bond begins!
There is much more industry talk about this over at The Hollywood Reporter. Just follow the link.