Apple TV+ won’t be the only video streaming service that launches with a new Steven Spielberg show.
Quibi, an upcoming short-form video service, revealed today that Steven Spielberg is creating an all-new original horror show that comes with a weird catch: you can only watch it at night.
Spielberg is revitalizing his 80s Amazing Stories anthology sci-fi TV show for the launch of Apple TV+. The project has had a bit of turmoil though. Showrunner Bryan Fuller left the show earlier this year due to creative differences.
Spielberg joins Quibi
Details of Quibi were released over the weekend by founder Jeffery Katzenberg. The service will compete directly with Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ when it launches in April 2020. Pricing is set at $5 or $8 a month depending on if you want to look at ads.
Steven Spielberg came in, and said, ‘I have a super scary story I want to do,’” Katzenberg said in an interview. “He’s writing it himself. He hasn’t [written anything in a while] so getting him to write something is fantastic.”
Instead of having one hour episodes, Quibi’s shows will come in 7 to 10 minute long chapters with an entire series being about. The idea is to give viewers something they can consume in short segments instead of committing an hour to or more to catch up on a show.
Spielberg has already written 5 or 6 episodes of the 10 to 12 chapter story. When the Quibi app launches it will display a countdown until sunset for where you are at. Episodes will be unlocked once it gets dark in your location, adding an interesting wrinkle to video distribution.
Quibi has also tapped a number of other stars to create content for launch. Steven Soderbergh, Guillermo del Toro, Sam Raimi, Catherine Hardwick, Anna Kendrick and more are creating new series for the service. The company plans to release 125 pieces of content a week and 7,000 pieces in year one.
