“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…..” sounds like Dickens wrote this just for 2020. It is indeed the best of times for Apple TV+ as it acquires the release of Tom Hanks’ World War 2 drama, but it’s the worst of times for people who are fans of theatres and have been watching epics on the “big screen”. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit every corner of the art and entertainment industry, and this time it swallows Sony Pictures’ big-budget project with Hanks.
At first “Greyhound was set to release in 2019, but Sony Pictures announced the delay of one year and announced May 8, 2020, to be the release date, it was then shifted to Father’s Day weekend ( June 19), but the situation is such that we don’t see movies releasing on cinemas for a foreseeable future, and so, Sony Pictures decided to auction “Greyhound” to streaming services. Apple TV+ closed the deal with Sony for around an enormous sum of 70 million dollars.
Apple TV+ has now up the ante for their competitors as it’ll release its first studio acquisition “Greyhound” in around 100 countries. Apple TV+ has already gained more subscribers than Disney+, Hulu and is on its way to compete with streaming giants like Netflix as it already has purchased some Sundance favourites like Sofia Coppola’s “On the Rocks” starring Bill Murray and Rashida, it is now streaming big Sundance winners like “Hala” and “The Elephant Queen”, and will also stream “Boys State”.
In 2016, Hanks announced his new WWII drama “Greyhound”, it was written by Hanks himself and directed by Aaron Schnieder, Hanks has previously been credited as a screenwriter in films like “Larry Crowne” and “That thing you do”. The film follows Hanks as fictional U.S. Navy commander Ernest Krause, who, while commanding a Naval convoy of 37 ships, is attacked by German-U boats, Krause must then safely harbour the convoy. The audience already loved Hanks in WWII movies like Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” and “Bridge of Spies”, Hanks has also been commanding planes and ships in blockbuster movies like “Sully” and “Captain Phillips” (not to mention his greatest role as an army man in “Forrest Gump”).
So it’s no secret that “Greyhound” will be received by immense responses from Hanks’ fans. The film doesn’t have a date yet, but it will be announced soon.