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Apple set to produce big-budget Spielberg TV show
Push into Hollywood likely to start with reboot of 1980s sci-fi series
6 hours ago
by Tim Bradshaw in Los Angeles
Apple is on the verge of landing a big-budget TV show produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, in its first deal since the iPhone maker rebooted its entertainment push earlier this year.
In June, Apple hired two top Sony Pictures Television producers, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, to spearhead a fresh drive into Hollywood. Their first commission is set to be a 10-episode series of Amazing Stories, a science-fiction fantasy show created by Mr Spielberg that originally aired on NBC in the mid-1980s, according to people familiar with the deal.
Although negotiations are still underway, the deal is expected to be finalised soon, these people said. Apple declined to comment on the deal, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Amblin referred requests for comment to Apple.
“It’s wonderful to be reunited with our colleagues Zack and Jamie in their new capacity at Apple,” said Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment. “We love being at the forefront of Apple’s investment in scripted programming, and can't think of a better property than Spielberg’s beloved Amazing Stories franchise with the genius of Bryan Fuller at the helm and more exciting creative partnerships to come.”
Mr Fuller, who is known for TV shows including Hannibal, Pushing Daisies and the recently released Star Trek: Discovery, is expected to be Amazing Stories’ executive producer.
The original Amazing Stories won a handful of Emmy awards but attracted relatively meagre ratings. Mr Spielberg turned one idea from the TV series into his 1987 sci-fi movie Batteries Not Included.
Apple has budgeted as much as $50m in total for the revived series as part of what Hollywood insiders have pegged as an investment of more than $1bn in original content over the next year. Securing a big name like Mr Spielberg — the creative force behind ET, Jurassic Park, Gremlins and Indiana Jones — will help to set the tone for what Apple is trying to achieve with its latest attempt to push deeper into Hollywood and the TV industry.
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The Silicon Valley company is vying with the likes of Hulu and Netflix for heavyweight shows, including a high-profile new drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon set on a morning TV chat show, people familiar with the matter have said. At the same time, Apple is expanding the team at its Los Angeles headquarters in Culver City, where it has considered expanding into a new base at the iconic Culver Studios, the FT reported last month.
At Sony, Mr Erlicht and Mr Amburg oversaw the production of hit dramas such as Breaking Bad and The Crown, which means they are already well-connected in Hollywood. However, Apple’s budget remains well below the $7bn that Netflix has pledged to spend next year, as it faces growing competition for shows from both traditional broadcasters and Silicon Valley rivals including Facebook and Alphabet’s YouTube.
Showrunners and agents are still unclear on where exactly Apple’s planned slate of TV series will appear. Today, Apple’s video content is spread between its iTunes download store and Apple Music, which has already shown some music-centric programming such as Carpool Karaoke.
One potential venue could be its new “TV” app, which aggregates content into an interactive guide from a range of streaming services, broadcasters and pay-TV operators. However, big hitters such as Comcast (NBC’s parent company) and Netflix are yet to integrate their services into Apple’s TV app, which is only available in the US, Canada and Australia at the moment.
A strong slate of original shows that are only available on the TV app might bolster Apple’s negotiating position with holdouts, by bringing a larger audience to the platform.
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