Apple has signed an overall television deal with Alfonso Cuarón, renowned film director, screenwriter, and producer, according to a Variety report. An overall deal means Apple can automatically acquire the rights to anything Cuarón develops over the length of the contract.
Cuarón’s career to date is mostly known for his filmography more than television work, so it’s interesting that Apple pursued a TV show deal.
Cuarón’s recent credits include “Gravity” and “Roma”, the latter of which earned a handful of accolades at the 2019 awards season. Cuarón also spearheaded “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, the first film in the series to move the franchise in a more adult and darker direction.
Variety says Apple’s arrangement with Cuarón spans multiple years but did not state an explicit time frame. The monetary incentives are also unknown. Typically, overall deals in the industry last between 3-5 years.
This is one of only a few overall deals that Apple has signed since spinning up the Apple TV+ venture. It has also had some setbacks in this area; it was reported recently that Apple had pitched to JJ Abrams’ production company Bad Robot, but Abrams ultimately opted to go with WarnerMedia.
Apple TV+ launches on November 1st. Any fruits of the Cuarón partnership are unlikely to debut until late 2020 at the earliest.
