Apple Steps In It With Hollywood, Again
Look, it's hard for me to weigh in on Apple's decision to postpone – indefinitely – the release of their new Apple TV+ limited series, The Savant, as I have not seen it. Does it too closely mirror the Charlie Kirk murder? All signs point to "no", but I don't know, maybe if you squint there are elements. Regardless, what I do see is a trend where Apple keeps pissing off some of the biggest stars in Hollywood with their decision-making process. It's honestly really strange.
Apple TV+ has postponed the release of its show “The Savant,” starring Jessica Chastain as an undercover investigator who infiltrates online hate groups to stop mass shootings. The show was set to begin streaming its first two episodes on Friday.
Apple did not give a reason for its postponement, which it announced on Tuesday, saying in a brief statement only that the decision was made after “careful consideration.” It did not announce a new release date.
It feels a bit abrupt given that a promotion for the show is running before a ton of other Apple TV+ content at the moment. And Chastain was in the middle of a of a press blitz to promote it, but fine, I guess, if everyone was aligned around the postponement...
Everyone was not aligned:
Ms. Chastain, who is also an executive producer on the show, took to social media on Wednesday morning to push back against the decision.
“We are not aligned on the decision to pause the release of The Savant,” she wrote on Instagram.
The actress then listed a number of violent acts that have occurred in the United States since they started making the show five years ago, including the attempted kidnapping of Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer; the assassination attempts on President Trump; the Jan. 6 riots; over 300 school shootings across the country; and the assassination of Mr. Kirk.
“These incidents, though far from encompassing the full range of violence witnessed in the United States, illustrate a broader mindset that crosses the political spectrum and must be confronted,” she continued. “I’ve never shied away from difficult subjects, and while I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is.”
To be fair, she couches her statement with caveats about how much she values her partnership with Apple and how she respects their decision, but still... She made the statement. And she made it knowing full well what that would mean, optically, for Apple. Make no mistake: she's implying they're doing this for political reasons. And I mean, duh. To be more clear: she's suggesting they're doing this so as not to tempt Trump.
It also follows the previous shitshow where Apple threw no less than George Clooney and Brad Pitt under the bus by cancelling the theatrical run of Wolfs at the last-minute. In a vacuum, that was probably the right call, the movie wasn't good enough to break through at the box office. But we don't live in a vacuum. And Apple certainly doesn't operate in one in Hollywood, which director Jon Watts made very clear in his torching of Apple after the decision.
Two is a trend.
And that's not just about Chastain, but also about the fact that most of the non-tech world last saw Tim Cook either presenting a golden gift to President Trump in the Oval Office or his performance at a dinner at the White House where he set a record for number of times you can say "thank you" in 90 seconds.
And so again, regardless of this particular situation, it sure looks like Apple is once again completely shitting the bed when it comes to handling Hollywood talent, while also performing some preemptive compliance.
Oh yes, I haven't even mentioned the Jimmy Kimmel situation which also stemmed from the Charlie Kirk situation. Obviously, obviously, that's the key missing piece here.
And while most directly tie that to the Stephen Colbert cancellation, don't forget that the actual OG of a late night guy being cancelled for political reasons is actually Jon Stewart – by Apple.1
1 Fine, fine, technically Bill Maher was first back in the day on ABC, but we've been over this...