Apple signs an exclusive deal with Tom Hanks’ production company
is looking to build on the success of TV+ by locking in production company to an exclusive multi-year deal. The agreement with Playtone covers series, documentaries and unscripted projects.
Hanks is also set to star in a sequel to World War II movie Greyhound. The thriller was one of the most-watched projects on Apple TV+, according to . Apple distribution rights to the film in 2020. Greyhound was supposed to be released theatrically, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it from being released in theaters. There was a similar situation with , a post-apocalyptic survival film in which Hanks’ character is accompanied on the road by his dog and a helper robot. That movie .
Apple has had a working relationship with Playtone, which was founded by Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman, for a few years. It was that the two companies and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television were working on Masters of the Air, a follow-up series to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Production of the show has wrapped, but a release date hasn’t been announced.
Adding more shows and movies from Playtone to the library will bolster Apple TV+, which is on a great run. It just became the first streaming service to (for CODA) while sitcom Ted Lasso enjoyed huge success . Recent shows like and have earned acclaim as well.
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