Apple’s dive into the world of Hollywood is already making waves, with new shows that are coming sooner than previously expected. A recent report from the New York Times revealed the company is planning to begin rolling out content sometime between March 2019 and summer 2019.
According to the report, Apple has outspent Facebook and YouTube on its quest to make original content, and beaten Netflix in a few bidding wars. As a result, the tech company has made deals for 12 projects, nine of which are “straight-to-series” shows. Apple has been enticing producers to join its now 40-person entertainment team by dangling a $1 billion budget. In comparison, Netflix is spending $8 billion on original projects in 2018.
The forthcoming projects on Apple’s roster already include some huge names. The company is reviving Steven Spielberg’s anthology Amazing Stories, and its other endeavors include the following: a drama series from La La Land director Damien Chazelle, a psychological thriller series from M. Night Shyamalan, a space drama from Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore, a futuristic drama from the director of the Hunger Games films Francis Lawrence, a drama series about a network morning show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, a comedy show with Kirsten Wiig, and a drama series with Octavia Spencer.
Executives from the company explained to the Times that they don’t plan on following Netflix’s model of creating a ton of content to serve individuals, but instead are focusing on a narrow amount of projects they hope will become universal binge-worthy hits, citing Disney’s Pixar as inspiration. All of these projects are being rolled out by the new entertainment team that is based out of Culver City, California. In addition to adult dramas, the team is working on children’s shows and programming for Latin America and Europe. It's unclear how these shows are going to be accessed, but they'll most likely be offered through an app, such as HBO Now, and require a subscription like Apple Music.
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