In early December Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple in talks for Gritty TV Drama about two Vietnam Vets angry at Today's Self-Absorbed Millennials." Today the Hollywood Reporter is claiming that the series has been scrapped by Apple.  

More specifically, the eight-episode project titled Bastards starring Richard Gere and based on the dark Israeli drama, won't move forward for Apple TV+.

A corner stone of the project had Richard Gere and another Vietnam Vet going on a Shooting spree from years of built-up frustration and anger. Gordon and Warren Leight (Law & Order: SVU) were poised to co-write the series and serve as showrunners. However, sources told the Hollywood Reporter that the first two scripts were met with notes from Apple about the show's tone of vigilante justice.

Sources say Gordon did not want to focus on the larger metaphor of friendship between the two vets and wanted to focus on the darker elements of the series, with Fox 21 executives backing the veteran producer.

Leight departed shortly afterward and Apple, which multiple sources note is looking for aspirational programming, wanted to ensure the series was focused on the heart and emotion of the central friendship.

Apple and Gordon/Fox 21 could not come to a middle ground, and Apple opted instead to release the project and pay a sizable financial penalty.

Being that Apple fought for this project in a bidding war, it goes to show that Apple wasn't in lock step with their team bidding for the project. How Apple and the writers be on such different pages for the scripts after wining the bidding could be trouble going forward. Will creative talent trust Apple going forward or was this a one time incident? Only time will tell. For more, read the full report from Hollywood Reporter

Archive: Apple TV News

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