Alfonso Cuarón, winner of Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography for ... [+]
Soon-to-launch Apple TV+ has signed a multi-year deal with Alfonso Cuarón to develop exclusive television projects for the streaming service. The price tag has been undisclosed, but it very likely means a big pay day for the Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker.
With multiple streamers about to flood the market, competition has become fierce. Established providers and newcomers are paying top dollar - striking multi-million dollar deals - to land big names that will give them an advantage over their rivals. It's likely Apple TV+'s deal with Cuarón is also worth millions.
Bringing Cuarón on board the development team gives Apple TV+ the added prestige of having a multi-Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning filmmaker whose extensive and varied filmography includes Sólo Con Tu Pareja, A little Pincess, Children of Men, Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity.
Cuarón has produced mainstream, internationally acclaimed films, but developing content for Apple TV+ will be an added bonus for the start-up service in targeting Latino audiences in the U.S. and subscribers in Latin America, where the streamer will also launch on November 1.
While Cuarón will produce exclusive content for Apple TV+, the deal doesn't make him exclusive to the service. He will continue his deal with Anonymous Content, partnering with them on some projects and will also work with other collaborators.
"Who could say no to that as a producer? Career wise, it was unavoidable given the inexorable move of cinema to streaming platforms," states Anne Hoyt, longtime film critic for Televisa in her native Mexico and now for AARP en Español.
Hoyt has closely followed Cuarón's career from his early days in Mexico, starting with his first feature film Solo con tu Pareja, and has interviewed him at length several times. She acknowledges his strength is in producing striking films, like the critically-acclaimed Oscar-winning Roma, which he wrote, produced and directed for Netflix. But she points out that developing television projects are not outside his realm.
"Cuarón was very successful in television at the beginning of his career in Mexico. Not only did he write and direct six episodes of horror and suspense series Hora Marcada from 1989 to 1990, but he also co-created NBC fantasy series Believe in 2014. So, the television format does not necessarily mean it will encumber his talent," says Hoyt.
"In spite of his Hollywood success, anyone who has had personal contact with Cuarón can tell you that his personality as an artist is that of a maverick, a rebel, the ultimate independent filmmaker. It will be interesting to see if the rigidity of a five-year contract puts any constrictions on his creativity and inspiration."
