Apple has acquired the world exhibition rights to Emancipation, the feature film directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Will Smith in a Willam N. Collage-scripted action thriller about the harrowing escape of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit hunters and the treacherous swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to the northern U.S. states where he joined the Union Army.
idding zoomed past $75 million, and the field got down to Warner Bros and Apple, and the latter finally closed the deal last night. Sources said the commitment comes in at $105 million net, but when backend gross buyouts are factored in, deal will exceed $120 million when all is said and done… The film will premiere in theaters and then around the world on Apple TV+.
It is the latest statement buy for Apple, which just a month ago become the prime creative studio on Killers of the Flower Moon, the $180 million + adaptation of the David Grann book that Eric Roth scripted and which has Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio set to star. Apple also stepped up to acquire Greyhound, the WWII drama that Tom Hanks wrote and stars in, with Aaron Schneider directing. That film premieres on Apple TV + on July 10.
MacDailyNews Take: Add Will Smith to the list of top name movie stars exclusively on Apple TV+. Yet another major win for Apple TV+!
Those who can wrap their heads around Apple’s massive cash mountain and the company’s unparalleled ability to generate cash can clearly see who the winner will be.
The most talented producers, writers, directors, editors, actors, etc. are attracted to exactly what Apple has and makes in vast abundance: Cash. The king.
Like bears to honey, it’s happening already. — MacDailyNews, January 3, 2018