Apple TV+ has inked a new multi-year, first-look feature film deal with The North Road Company‘s Chernin Entertainment, the flagship scripted film label behind such titles as Hidden Figures, Ford v Ferrari, The Greatest Showman and Planet of the Apes.
On the television side, Chernin Entertainment is already a partner of the streaming platform, producing the upcoming historical miniseries Chief of War starring Jason Momoa, about the unification and colonization of Hawaii at the turn of the 18th century, set to premiere Aug. 1. It is also behind the Emmy-nominated See, also featuring Momoa; NAACP Image Award-winning Truth Be Told with Octavia Spencer and Gabrielle Union; and Emmy-winning docuseries The War for Football, executive produced by North Road’s premium nonfiction label Words + Pictures.
“We’ve had a great experience working with Apple on the series side, where they’ve been smart, daring, and always supportive — we’re excited to build on that success by making movies together,” said The North Road Company chairman Peter Chernin.
Founded three years ago by Chernin, the global content studio has established itself as a production powerhouse spanning scripted, unscripted and documentary content. Its labels include Chernin Entertainment (film, television and indie), North Road Television, Kinetic Content, Words + Pictures and others.
Chernin Entertainment’s recent film releases include the action-comedy Back in Action, with Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, and Fear Street: Prom Queen, both of which debuted at No. 1 on Netflix’s most-watched list. Its upcoming film slate includes Apex with Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton and sci-fi 11817 starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura — both Netflix projects. There is also Altar with Kyle MacLachlan and January Jones, as well as The Backrooms with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve — both A24 pics.
Momentum around the Apple Original Films slate continues to grow since the debut of Apple TV+ five years ago, with highly anticipated features including F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris and from director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, premiering in theaters June 27. There’s also Highest 2 Lowest, the latest feature reuniting Spike Lee with Denzel Washington for the fifth time, releasing in theaters Aug. 22 and on the streamer September 5.
Apple also made history as the first streaming service to land the Academy Award for Best Picture with CODA. Its expanding film slate also includes Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which landed 10 Oscar nods, and other fare like The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy; Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Pitt; and the recently released Echo Valley, featuring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney.
