Apple TV+ just landed another star for its ever-growing galaxy. The service will stream upcoming documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry in February 2021, the same month the film makes its theatrical premiere.
The “highly anticipated documentary” is being produced by Apple Original Films and directed by R.J. Cutler, Apple said in a press release Monday. Cutler made a name for himself with documentaries The War Room and The September Issue as well as TV shows American High and Nashville.
The Eilish documentary will slot nicely alongside Beastie Boys Story and the other nonfiction entries in the burgeoning Apple TV+ library. (And don’t forget about 808: The Movie and the other music docs available to Apple Music subscribers.)
Apple TV+ continues to focus on inking deals with big names. The service recently cut high-profile deals with Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others. And it reportedly scored a big hit with Greyhound, the Tom Hanks war movie it rescued from box office disaster.
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry on Apple TV+
Rumors that Apple TV+ would release an Eilish doc have been swirling for months. Variety reported on an “omnipresent film crew” following the singer around last year. After today’s announcement, the trade publication called snagging Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry for Apple TV+ “a snazzy ‘get’ for the service as it is locked in a content arms race with Netflix and Disney Plus.
Here’s more from Apple TV+ PR about Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry:
The documentary is from Apple Original Films, in association with Interscope Films, Darkroom, This Machine and Lighthouse Management & Media. Darkroom/Interscope Records artist Billie Eilish released her groundbreaking debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” in 2019 and won Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at this year’s 62nd Grammy Awards in January, followed by her rousing performance of The Beatles’ “Yesterday” at the 92nd Oscars. This year also saw 18-year-old Eilish release her internationally hailed official James Bond theme song, “No Time To Die,” for the forthcoming MGM/Eon Productions James Bond motion picture.
Here’s a clip from Apple that’s been generously described as a teaser:
There’s really not much to it. You see a pulsating icon that looks a little bit like a deformed Apple Watch workout icon. And then there’s a quick shot of what appears to be Eilish as a child, plunking on a piano.
It’s all set to a throbbing, scratchy track that Shazam, Apple’s music-recognition service, can’t identify. Let’s go out on a limb and say it’s Eilish’s breathy voice we hear. (I’m aware of her success as an artist, but I’m not familiar with her catalog. Maybe fans will recognize that song instantly. Shazam definitely should know.)
Get a real hit of Billie Eilish
In fact, screw that. If you want to see something interesting, watch the video for Eilish’s “bad guy” instead. It’s pretty weird and awesome. And it offers a much better glimpse at what might arrive in the documentary about the moody singer who became an “ASMR icon.”
But let’s be honest. You probably already saw the “bad guy” video. It’s racked up nearly 1 billion views on YouTube in the past year and a half.
