Apple appears to be one of the companies vying to pick up Bad Robot, the production studio founded by Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lost director J.J. Abrams.
Apple is facing competition from the likes of Disney, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros., Deadline said this week, citing several sources. Bad Robot is said to be avoiding its own term sheet, instead leaving potential dealmakers to come up with their own quotes.
Currently Bad Robot is under the wing of Paramount, which is reportedly paying an "eight-figure" overhead for the privilege. Abrams isn't under an exclusive directing agreement though, and in fact has spent much of the past five years directing two "Star Wars" films for Disney. Paramount is allegedly upset with this, in part because he could have improved the performance of movies like "Overlord" and "The Cloverfield Paradox," and he even chose to direct "Star Wars: Episode IX" after agreeing to direct a Paramount movie in exchange for a Bad Robot extension.
Disney is rumored to be the leading contender for the studio, in part because Abrams may have a close relationship with CEO Bob Iger, and Disney's upcoming streaming service could allow Bad Robot to pump out as many movies and shows as it wants. It also of course has theme parks, merchandise, and other moneymakers.
The studio does have some connections with Apple, since the two are working on a movie, "Little Voices," and "My Glory Was I Had Such Friends," a TV series with Jennifer Garner. Both of those should premiere on Apple's unnamed streaming service, coming sometime this year.