Apple Original Films reveals slate for 2022 and beyond

Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson in Cha Cha Real Smooth. Courtesy of Apple

On the heels of landing historic SAG Award wins for the beloved film “CODA,” in addition to earning Oscar nominations and top AFI Honors among a growing list of awards for both “CODA” and the acclaimed drama “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Apple today unveiled a glimpse at its burgeoning, highly anticipated slate of Apple Original Films set to premiere globally in theaters and on Apple TV+ over the next year.

In 2022, Apple Original Films will debut new films hailing from today’s most renowned, award-winning storytellers and stars, including Alfonso Cuaron, Antoine Fuqua, Dakota Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer, Bill Murray, Russell Crowe and many more.

The Dragon (voiced by Jane Fonda), Bob (voiced by Simon Pegg) and Sam Greenfield (voiced by Eva Noblezada) in Luck. Courtesy of Apple

“Cha Cha Real Smooth,” winner of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 17. In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” writer-director Cooper Raiff also stars as a recent college graduate stuck back at home with his family and working as a party-starter for bar and bat mitzvahs who strikes up a unique friendship with a young mom, played by Dakota Johnson, and her teenage daughter. Additional eagerly awaited Apple Original Films set to debut this summer include a documentary executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin about the career and life of the late Sidney Poitier; and “Luck,” a new animated feature from Skydance Animation about the unluckiest girl in the world, starring Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue, John Ratzenberger and Adelynn Spoon, premiering August 5.

Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke in Raymond and Ray. Courtesy of Apple

Later this fall, the Apple Original Films slate will expand with the premiere of the feature documentary “Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong,” a definitive look at the master musician’s life and legacy as a founding father of jazz, produced under Apple’s first-look agreement with Imagine Documentaries; “Raymond & Ray,” which follows half-brothers Raymond and Ray (played by Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke) who have lived in the shadow of a terrible father; and Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” a new dramedy starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe based on the true story of John “Chickie” Donohue, who in 1968 left New York to track down and share a few beers with his childhood buddies now in the Army – fighting in Vietnam. The documentary feature “The Sound of 007” will also make its global debut this fall, to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film series.

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in Spirited. Courtesy of Apple

Audiences will also be treated to the keenly anticipated holiday release “Spirited,” the modern musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story “A Christmas Carol” starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer. Before the end of 2022, Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith’s highly anticipated new film “Emancipation,” which tells the triumphant story of a man who escapes from slavery, will debut on Apple TV+.

Also coming soon, the Apple Original Films feature film slate will see the premiere of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow and more, the highly anticipated film follows the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. Matthew Vaughn’s next spy thriller “Argylle,” featuring an ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa and Ariana DeBose with John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson, will also soon be added to Apple’s growing lineup, as will “Sharper,” a New York City-set suspense-thriller from writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton and John Lithgow, and “Tetris” starring Taron Egerton, which follows the extraordinary journey of one of the most iconic computer games in the world.

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. Courtesy of Apple

As the Apple Original Films banner continues to expand, audiences can look forward to films from today’s most prolific storytellers, such as Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French military leader and emperor alongside Vanessa Kirby as Josephine; a pair of complementary documentaries entitled “Number One on the Call Sheet,” celebrating Black leading women and men in Hollywood; “Ghosted,” a high concept romantic action adventure film starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas; Skydance Animation’s “Spellbound,” which follows a young girl who sets out to break the spell that has divided her kingdom in two; and “The Beanie Bubble,” inspired by the story behind one of the biggest speculative crazes that blazed through American culture in the ‘90s and starring Elizabeth Banks, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Snook and Geraldine Viswanathan.

Apple Original Films is also currently in development on highly sought-after projects including Adam McKay’s “Bad Blood,” about the rise and fall of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, with Jennifer Lawrence producing and starring as Holmes; the genre-bending film “Bride,” produced by and starring Scarlett Johansson; ”Snow Blind” with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star; a new Sue Mengers biopic starring Academy Award-Winner Jennifer Lawrence; “Dolly,” a new feature film written by Academy Award-nominee Vanessa Taylor and Drew Pearce with Academy Award-nominee Florence Pugh attached to star; an adaption of Judy Heumann’s bestselling memoir Being Heumann from Siân Heder; an Audrey Hepburn biopic; and a thriller with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, written and directed by Jon Watts, about two lone fixers who are assigned to the same job.

Zac Efron in The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Courtesy of Apple

Underscoring its mission to deliver a curated slate of premium stories, Apple has landed overall deals for feature films from award-winning studios and production companies Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, Richard Plepler’s Eden Productions, Siân Heder, Tracy Oliver, A24, Imagine Entertainment, Skydance Animation and Skydance Media — guaranteeing a continuous rollout of new films for years to come.

Momentum around the Apple Original Films slate continues to grow since the debut of Apple TV+ just over two years ago. Siân Heder’s acclaimed film “CODA” has already made history as the most awarded film in the history of Sundance Film Festival, as well as becoming the first film with a predominantly Deaf cast to win a SAG award in the ensemble category. Less than two years after its launch, Apple also nabbed the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary for its original documentary “Boys State.” Apple Original Films has premiered blockbuster films including Tom Hanks’ global hit, Academy Award-nominated film “Greyhound,” as well as Hanks’ follow up project, “Finch,” which set audience records and debuted as the #1 movie ever on Apple TV+, following its premiere last year.

To date, Apple’s series and films have earned 213 wins and 950 nominations and have recently received recognition from the Academy Awards, SAG Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, NAACP Image Awards, as well as past Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards, plus more.