Apple TV+ snags another star, signing Uma Thurman for new thriller Suspicion. Photo: Thor Siebrands/Wikimedia CC
Oscar-nominated actress Uma Thurman will join the Apple TV+ family as the star of a new thriller called Suspicion.
The drama series, which does not have a release date, is based on an award-winning series in Israel called False Flag, the rights of which Apple purchased last year.
With original content being developed for television, Apple is reportedly looking to create podcasts. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple’s growing services business will soon feature original podcasts, according to a report that, if true, amps up the tech giant’s battle with rival Spotify.
Apple’s pursuit of original podcast content came to light via a news bulletin from a Bloomberg terminal. Even before the full story published, the news sent Spotify’s stock on a fall of more than 2 percent.
The creator of The Big Sick brings a big heart to telling stories of immigrants in America. Photo: Apple
America is bitterly divided on immigration. But the creator of an original Apple TV series, announced at the Steve Jobs Theatre today, wants his anthology to help heal that divide.
Rather than tales of exceptional talent and achievement, Little America tells the everyday stories of immigrants navigating the American dream.
The creator is writer and stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani whose very own American dream hit a sweet spot in 2017 with the movie The Big Sick.
Apple has picked up another A-list star for one of its shows. Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC
Chris “Captain America” Evans is the latest star to sign on for an original Apple TV series. Evans will star in and executive-produce Defending Jacob, a limited series based on a best-selling novel from 2012.
It follows the story of a father whose teenage son is accused of murder. Defending Jacob will be Evans’ first non-movie role since he starred in the Opposite Sex miniseries way back in 2000.
Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are two of the masterminds behind Apple's original content strategy. Photo: Sony Pictures Television
Apple may be commissioning its own TV shows, but it’s also picking up finished productions, too. With that goal in mind, Apple is sending some of its top production names to the Toronto International Film Festival this week to try and acquire new content.
According to trade magazine Variety, at least one of Apple’s top entertainment programming execs, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, will be in attendance at the festival — and they’ll have “checkbooks in hand.”
Apple Music is helping break new acts. Photo: Apple Music
Right now, a lot of the discussion of Apple’s original video content focuses on the drama series the company is developing. But Apple’s not abandoning its focus on creating videos to promote Apple Music musicians — as a pair of new teaser trailers make clear.
The short teasers are for an upcoming documentary to coincide with Chris, artist Héloïse Letissier’s second album as Christine and The Queens. Check them out below.
Actress Jane Krakowski, perhaps best known for starring in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and NBC’s 30 Rock, has reportedly signed on to join an Apple original TV series.
Krakowski will join the cast in Apple’s Dickinson series, a comedic look at the world of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson.
Producer/director Mimi Leder, center, worked on award-winning series The Leftovers. Photo: Peabody Awards/Flickr CC
A director known for ER, The West Wing and Shameless episodes, and even the Deep Impact disaster movie, will go behind the camera for one of the many TV shows Apple is producing. Mimi Leder reportedly agreed to take on the upcoming program starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
The drama, which doesn’t yet have a name, will be set behind the scenes at a fictional morning TV show.
Apple is continuing to invest in original TV content. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
As part of its push into original video content, Apple signed a Writers Guild of America master contract promising writers greater benefits.
The deal means that scribes employed by Apple to work on its growing list of projects will receive script fees, weekly payments and residuals on shows that air for free. This is a better deal for writers than the current baseline agreement on offer.
You’ll have to pay extra to keep four streams. Photo: Netflix
As the current king of the streaming video world, Netflix knows it’s got a target on its back — and it’s certainly sweating because Apple wants to steal its crown. So Netflix is using a tactic once employed by Apple, positioning itself as a scrappy, nimble upstart able to easily outflank its deep-pocketed adversaries.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings even called his company “the anti-Apple” this weekend, painting Cupertino as a secretive company limited in its operational speed by obsessive top-down control.
That’s a misreading of the situation, and a serious strategic mistake. In fact, if Netflix misplays its cards, it could find itself Sherlocked.