Apple TV+ and the company’s original programming that it’s been working on for the last few years is about launch next month. Ahead of the November 1st release, we’re hearing more details about Apple’s streaming video efforts and news from The Hollywood Reporter details Apple’s difficult path to original content with issues causing the launch of Spielberg’s reboot, Amazing Stories to be delayed. Other details say Apple is spending $300 million alone on its upcoming drama, The Morning Show.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter highlights some of Apple’s challenges as it has built up to the launch of Apple TV+.
According to dozens of interviews across the industry, Apple CEO Tim Cook is experiencing his own learning curve despite hiring respected showbiz execs. But while there have been some missteps (in addition to Carson, Steven Spielberg anthology Amazing Stories parted ways with showrunners Bryan Fuller and Hart Hanson, and sources say the Jason Momoa sci-fi epic See will soon make a change at the top), the interest surrounding Apple’s Hollywood debut remains high.
Apple’s sometimes heavy involvement has allegedly caused issues like with Amazing Stories with some calling it a lack of “Hollywood savvy” on Apple’s part.
Adds one top producer who has worked with the company: “The biggest problem is Apple’s insistence that the industry adapt to them and not the other way around.”
One notable example, the showrunners Bryan Fuller and Hart Hanson were let go over creative differences and the show will now miss the launch of Apple TV+.
The corporate meddling has led to some creative differences. During early development of Amazing Stories, Fuller and Hanson received pushback from both Apple and studio Universal Television over what sources describe as their vision for an edgy, high-concept anthology. (One story would have followed a crazy cat lady murdered by her feline friends.) Though the show was meant to be part of Apple’s launch slate, the departure of the producers delayed the project. Apple, interested in a more aspirational version of the show, opted to bring on Once Upon a Timeduo Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
On the bright side, some, like Creative Artists Agency agent Rob Kenneally believe Apple will bring a shift to Hollywood, like its relationship with customers.
“The two-way relationship they have with the consumer and the vast number of consumers they have, that’s going to be game-changing,” says CAA TV agent Rob Kenneally.
Last week, co-star Jennifer Aniston shared more about her time working on The Morning Show with Apple including her early reservations.
Did you have any reservations selling “The Morning Show” to Apple?
“Yes and no. But I have to say the ‘no’ outweighed the ‘yes,’ because we knew what we were doing — even though they didn’t have walls yet or telephones.”
But overall she explained the thrill of being the first show at Apple.
An interesting figure in the THR report says that Apple is spending $300 million on two seasons of The Morning Show. Notably, $40 million of that is going to the show’s stars as Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston negotiated $2M each per episode.
The overall spending for the show per episode at $15 million matches what we heard it cost Apple for its sci-fi drama, See.
Apple was reportedly looking to invest around $1 billion into its original content efforts but that is said to have ballooned into spending of $6 billion as of this summer.
Read the full report from THR here.
Check out the full trailer for The Morning Show below and our guide here to keep up with all the official trailers for Apple TV+ shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA7D4_qU9jo&t
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