Greyhoundis based on the true story of a first time US Navy Commander whose boat is under attack from enemy submarines. Hanks stars in the leading role alongsideStephen Graham(The Irishman),Rob Morgan(The Last Black Man in San Francisco), andElisabeth Shue(The Boys). Hanks also wrote the screenplay, which is directed byAaron Schneider(Get Low).
Apple paid around $70 million for the streaming debut of the film, winning out a bidding war with the other big streamers – all of whom I’m sure were eager to lock a Hanks-starring picture with Oscar bonafides written all over it, not to mention its original positioning as prime “Dad cinema.” It represents a huge step for the service in terms of spending money and acquiring content to get more eyeballs, coming in the wake of other splashy Sundance acquisitions like festival sensationBoys State,Bryce Dallas Howard’s documentaryDads, andSofia CoppolaandBill Murray’s reunion pictureOn the Rocks. Hopefully these star-and-quality-powered moves get Apple TV+ more in the conversation, but I do worry it’s nothing more than an extension of what they’ve already been trying – star-driven projects with “quality” – without the best expected results. Hanks, of course though, ain’t just any “star,” so perhaps he’ll break that camel’s back.
Apple is also building up their back catalog of library TV shows and films to stream, according toBloomberg. While specific titles were not mentioned, Apple is in talks with studios about acquiring certain already-produced titles, rather than the exclusively original slate they currently offer. This is a smart, and quite late move on the part of the streaming service. These types of “legacy watches” are what got Netflix and the rest their primary eyeballs of attention in their early days (think re-bingingThe Officeon Netflix over and over). Perhaps this mix of library content, combined with splashy purchases like “the debut of a new Tom Hanks film,” will give Apple TV+ the push it needs to competitively play with the big dogs of streaming.
For more on Apple TV+, here’s our review of their delightful animated musical comedyCentral Park. And for more from Mr. Hanks, here’s his wonderfulvirtual graduation speechfor the class of 2020.
