It is nothing new that Apple is putting a huge amount of money on its platform of original films and series, the Apple TV +. What may be a novelty is that some of Apple’s productions may have a budget similar to that of American TV’s biggest blockbuster – or even some blockbusters from Hollywood.
THE Wall Street Journal recently published a report dealing with this escalation of TV series costs and revealed an impressive number related to the series “See”, one of the original Apple TV + productions. According to the article, the Apple is spending about $ 15 million per episode in the first season of the series.
The budget is similar to what the HBO spent per episode in the last season of the phenomenon “Game of Thrones”, and also equates to the overproduction of Disney +, “The Mandalorian”, located in the universe of “Star Wars” and which will debut next November. More than that: considering the traditional amount of ten episodes per season, we came to the conclusion that companies are spending up to $ 150 million for a season of television production – a value similar to that of most blockbusters hollywoodians.
THE Amazon is another company that has its portfolio wide open to the world of television productions: according to sources, Jeff Bezos’s company closed a contract of US $ 250 million to produce a future series based on “The Lord of the Rings” – and that value refers to if only book rights.
The explanation for the phenomenon is simple: more and more, it is common for films and series to share space on streaming. Producers (whether Apple, Amazon, HBO or Disney), therefore, cannot risk offering products that seem inferior or on a more modest budget simply because they were made for TV. The trend is that, every day, the idea that the product for TV has a more “cheap” appearance will be weakened.
This inflation of the television budget goes through several aspects of the productions, from the production design to the expenses with photography / locations and the hiring of starred Hollywood names for the series. “See”, for example, will be captained by Jason Momoa, which gained fame precisely with “Game of Thrones” and is now a first-rate star, with his leading role in “Aquaman”.
Interestingly, the queen of streaming is that, on the other hand, it is tightening spending a little: according to WSJ, a Netflix is taking steps to save a little more on its production going forward. That’s because even all the money in the world doesn’t necessarily guarantee success: just look at the case of “The Get Down”, the giant’s series that cost $ 7.5 million per episode and was canceled with only one season.
“Alabama”
Obviously, not all Apple TV + series need to be megaproductions – we also have smaller, more intimate and more mature themes. One of them has just been announced.
According to Chortle, Apple partnered with the BBC to produce the series “Alabama”, a dramatic comedy written by Andy Wolton and starring Imelda Staunton, nominated for an Oscar for “The Secret of Vera Drake” and known for the “Harry Potter” film series. Jim O’Hanlon, from “Catastrophe”, should act as showrunner.
There is still no more information on the theme or synopsis of the series, but it should arrive on Apple TV + sometime next year.
via AppleInsider
