Apple may be at the forefront of computing and smartphones, and they undoubtedly shook the industry with the introduction of the iTunes store. But when it comes to world of original content and streaming, the company is lagging woefully behind Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Eager to get in the game, the company hired Sony execs Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht over the summer, and they have been given the mandate to find programming to sit alongside the likes of “Game Of Thrones,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Crown.” Well, they’re getting one step closer to that goal.
A deal is nearing for Apple to snap up “Amazing Stories.” The show will be a reboot of Steven Spielberg‘s shortlived anthology series from the 1980s, that focused on sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, and roped in some pretty talented names to work behind the camera, including Martin Scorsese. This new iteration has been penned by Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods“) and was originally set up at NBC. They didn’t move forward with it, so now Universal TV is taking it over to Apple, with Spielberg’s Amblin TV also involved.
With the current wave of nostalgia for all things ’80s (hello, “Stranger Things“), particularly how filmmakers of the era approach genre fare, this is a good move by Apple, though hopefully, they won’t wait too long to get this rolling, because the current moment could quickly pass. However, if they get directors of a calibre to swing by for episodes, it could be a gateway show for people to add a new subscription to their lives.
Until we know more, check out the Spielberg directed “The Mission” from the first season of the original run of “Amazing Stories.”