Apple partners with A24, the studio behind 'Moonlight' and 'Hereditary'
Apple has signed a multi-year agreement with A24, which will see the film studio producing multiple movies for Apple.
Not much else is known about the deal yet — not the number of films, their genres or the talent involved. Still, the deal suggests that Apple is going to be investing seriously in original films, along with TV shows.
Over the past year or so, Apple's been releasing a steady drumbeat of content announcements, for shows like an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" novels, a drama set in the world of morning TV starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon and a series from "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle. What's less clear is how Apple plans to distribute theses shows and movies, though there have been reports that it will give the content away for free to people who own iOS and tvOS devices.
A24, meanwhile, is a relatively new studio launched in 2012. It's quickly established itself as a home for critically acclaimed films like "Moonlight" (winner of the Oscar for Best Picture) and "Lady Bird." It's also released some of the best science fiction and horror movies of the past few years, including "Ex Machina," "The Lobster" and "Hereditary" (which gave me nightmares for a solid week).
The studio's films have had a significant presence on streaming, thanks to an early, exclusive deal with Amazon Prime, but A24 has also had success in theaters — particularly noteworthy at a time when ambitious, original films seem increasingly likely to premiere on services like Netflix. In fact, Variety notes that this year has been A24's most financially successful yet, thanks in large part to "Hereditary."