It’s been clear that Apple has been looking to expand into the world of original content, and now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company has struck a deal to revive the Steven Spielberg anthology series Amazing Stories.
The filmmaker’s Amblin Entertainment production company will be producing 10 episodes of the new series with NBCUniversal’s television production unit, with a budget of $5 million earmarked per episode.
No details about Spielberg’s specific involvement as a director are mentioned, but according to the report, he will likely serve as an executive producer on the new series. Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller will serve as showrunner.
For Apple, this represents the first big move in what is reported to be a $1 billion investment in original content over the coming year. As of yet, Apple doesn’t really have a Netflix equivalent in place.
Some of the company’s tentative first efforts like Carpool Karaoke are available as part of Apple Music, but it’s hard to imagine someone like Spielberg closing a deal for Amazing Stories to be nothing more than a value-add to Apple’s music ambitions.
