Despite working with Netflix and gifting the streaming platform its second feature-length Oscar with Roma, Alfonso Cuarón is jumping ship. He’s signed a deal with Apple to create television projects for the company’s upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service.
There was reportedly a bidding war for Cuarón’s services, but Apple won out simply by offering more money. As a part of this deal, Cuarón will still keep his nonexclusive deal with Anonymous Content, who he will help to develop select projects.
This deal makes sense for Apple, who are lacking the built-in IP their streaming competitors have fought over. To counter that, they’ve made their streaming platform the cheapest and are now targeting big names.
They just purchased a new musical version of A Christmas Carol that stars Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. They’re hoping that Cuarón’s name, and the potential of the next Gravity or Roma, will be enough to implore people to subscribe.
They’re probably also hoping that, similar to Netflix, they can offer other auteurs and top-name creative talent the blank cheque to make whatever crazy passion project they want. While studios are shying away from risky projects, streaming platforms want as many big names and as much content as possible, and they’re willing to pay these creators handsomely.
So while the streaming wars is a new frontier of sorts for Hollywood, and many will bemoan the death of the cinema, a lot of these projects Cuarón and co. are creating would probably not have seen the light of day otherwise. That doesn’t mean the streaming wars don’t have their downsides, but the chance to see someone like Cuarón create something free of studio interference is a positive.
Cuarón’s Apple projects will be joined by series like Steven Knight‘s See starring Jason Momoa, The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, and M. Night Shyamalan‘s psychological thriller, Servant. Apple TV+ launches Friday, November 1.
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