Mike Peterson
Apple has announced that its Tom Hanks-led post-apocalyptic sci-fi original film "Finch" will make its debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, Nov. 5.
The film follows a man, a robot, and a dog who form an unlikely family in a "a powerful and moving adventure of one man's quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he's gone."
Hanks will star as Finch, a robotics engineer and survivor of a cataclysmic solar event that has devastated the world. Caleb Landry Jones plays a robot that Finch creates to watch over his dog, Goodyear.
"As the trio embarks on a perilous journey into a desolate American West, Finch strives to show his creation, who names himself Jeff, the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive. Their road trip is paved with both challenges and humor, as it's as difficult for Finch to goad Jeff and Goodyear to get along as it is for him to manage the dangers of the new world," Apple wrote of the film.
Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman, Adam Merims, and Jeb Brody executive produced the series. Kevin Misher, Jack Rapke, and Jacqueline Levine served as producers. The film is directed by Miguel Sapochnik and is based on a screenplay by Ivor Powell.
The film will join a growing list of prestige movies on Apple TV+, including previous Hanks project "Greyhound" and upcoming Will Smith-headed film "Emancipation."
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
8 Comments
Should have named the robot Wilson
For a guy who doesn't like streaming service exclusives, Hanks sure makes a lot of movies that only get released on streaming services.
I remember he wasn't happy the Greyhound wound up on AppleTV+ (really, just unhappy it was on any streaming service) since he thought it deserved a big screen release. And here we are again.
I'm surprised Hanks isn't listed in the article as a producer since he co-founded Playtone which is one of the production companies that made this film. If he's a major funder of the movie, especially if he holds other roles like Director or Lead Actor, then I consider him a producer regardless of the official credits. My guess is that Hanks is humble and doesn't like seeing his name in multiple roles on the same film which tends to be a sign of a bad film.
The average film made today has over 10 producers. Some have 30 or 40. Traditionally it's the people who funded the film or provided creative guidance or were founders or CEOs of the contributing production companies. But in these modern times, the owners sell the "rights" to certain parts of the film to different companies. They typically sell the theatrical rights to one company (or multiple companies for different countries,) the TV rights to another, the music rights to another (although more likely they purchase music rights from a different company), the streaming rights to others, and so on. The company at the top of this chain is usually the one that we call "the movie studio." But they all have a vested interest in the movie and share in the profit which means they have a stake in its ownership.