Apple has continued its winning ways when it comes to acquiring A-list movie properties by snapping up worldwide rights to the first movie made by the Russo brothers since Avengers: Endgame, a.k.a. the highest grossing movie of all time.
Called Cherry, the movie stars Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo in what are being touted as incredibly impressive acting performances. The movie is an adaptation of a bestselling 2018 novel by Nico Walker.
Cherry tells the story of its unnamed protagonist, who goes to college and later becomes a soldier in the War in Iraq. He returns from a harrowing experience as an army medic and gets addicted to the opiate Oxycontin. Following this, he becomes a bank robber to pay for his habit.
As incredible as that story sounds, the most amazing part is how real it is. Cherry is, in fact, semi-autobiographical. The author has been in federal prison since 2013. He is scheduled to be released in November 2020. According to Deadline, Anthony and Joe Russo participated in an auction to obtain the rights that was “limited by the author’s available phone minutes” because he was still behind bars.
Deadline notes that: “[The movie] gives Apple a viable awards season contender in a season that so far hasn’t unveiled a lot of them. The plan is to qualify with the Academy, and premiere the film in early 2021 on Apple TV+.”
Apple’s focusing on movies in a big, bad way
Apple continues to up its focus on movies. To date, these movies have included the Samuel L. Jackson-starring The Banker and Tom Hanks’ Greyhound, alongside feature documentary Boys State.
Other forthcoming Apple TV+ movies will include Werner Herzog astronomy documentary Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Snow Blind, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro) and Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation (with Will Smith). Apple has reportedly made winning awards one of its primary focuses. It recently picked up its first Emmy award for Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. From the sound of things, it could have its eyes set on an Oscar in the future.
Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month. It is also currently free for one year if you buy a new iPad, iPhone, Mac or Apple TV. In addition, it be available as part of the subscription bundle Apple One, a collection of services offered at a discount. Apple One will debut later this fall.
What do you think of Apple’s movie-oriented focus for Apple TV+? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
