It was reported last night that Apple Studios had landed yet another high-caliber movie package, making a deal for an untitled film that Spider-Man director Jon Watts will write and direct, with George Clooney and Brad Pitt starring. The film will get a robust theatrical release as part of this.

The film will be produced by Watts, Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures and Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. Watts moved right from the Sundance indie drama Cop Car to the Marvel Spider-Man trilogy. Oscar winners Clooney and Pitt starred together in the Ocean’s Eleven franchise. Haven’t heard the price tag, but I’m sure it falls in line with a lot of the recent deals for star packages. I have heard that between Clooney and Pitt, they left an eight-figure sum on the table to ensure the theatrical release component.

The thriller follows two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job. The package hit the market last week, and seven to 10 bidders materialized. The combatants included Sony, Lionsgate, Annapurna, MGM, Universal, Warner Bros, Apple, Netflix and Amazon.

For Apple toppers Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, this becomes the latest giant film package to add to their slate. Others include Emancipation, a new film from director Antoine Fuqua, and starring and produced by Academy Award nominee Will Smith; the highly sought-after Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro; Spirited, a musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer; and Raymond and Ray, a new feature film starring Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke. For more, read the full Deadline report.

Archive: Apple TV News