Asian American and Pacific Islanders will have a lot to look forward to when Apple’s new streaming service comes online. TViewers will see more AAPI actors in lead roles and more shows with AAPI themes.
On Monday,Apple announced the changes they would be making to Apple TV. Apple announced they were moving towards a streaming service, called Apple TV+. The streaming service is expected to launch in Autumn 2019.
Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced Oprah – yes, that Oprah who-needs-a-last-name Winfrey – who explained what attracted a bunch of Hollywood A-listers to the Cupertino launch.
“They’re in a billion pockets, ya’ll. A billion pockets,” said Oprah as only Oprah can say it. Add on the millions of computers and iPads and there’s a ready audience, even if Apple were able to convince only a portion of its product users to subscribe to the new service.
Among the movies and series that will debut in September, are:
Pachinko
Based on the novel by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko tells the saga of four generations of a Korean immigrant family and takes place in Korea, Japan, and America. The sweeping series chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family. Described as epic in scope, the story begins with a forbidden romance and crescendos into a sweeping saga that journeys between Korea, Japan and America. The drama will be told in three languages: Korean, Japanese and English.
See
Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard lead this drama about a world in which blindness has taken over the human race. According to Deadline, the premise is specifically “a future when the human race has lost the sense of sight, and society has had to find new ways to interact, to build, to hunt, to survive. All of that is challenged when a set of twins with sight is born.”
Little America
The power couple behind The Big Sick—Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon—are teaming up again to write Little America, an anthology series that will explore the true stories of everyday Americans. The stories, originating in Epic Magazine, will give a rewritten in-depth look into the lives of immigrants and all the facets about life in a post-immigration American world.
Dickinson
Emily Dickinson’s origin story, humorously told with Hailee Steinfeld, who is of Filipino descent, in the title role.
Hala
A coming-of-age story from writer/director Minhal Baig about a 17-year-old Pakistani girl raised in a conservative Muslim household and struggling to balance two cultures. Newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan will tackle the title role in this contemplative drama, which debuted at Sundance this year where it was warmly received.
Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Project
The famed director is teaming with 24 writer Tony Basgallop for a psychological thriller, with Lauren Ambrose and Rupert Grint among the cast. It’s Shyamalan, so the plot details, unsurprisingly, are a secret. But Deadline reports the series will feature half-hour episodes and involve young parents and a nanny.
Shantaram
The story of a man who escapes from an Australian prison and ends up in Bombay, where he tries to carve out a new life in India’s underworld. Based on Gregory David Robert’s novel of the same name, with Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) writing. Besides Oprah, some of the other big Hollywood celebrities who helped launch the new service included Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carrell, Sofia Coppola, Octavia Spencer and Ron Howard.
Unfortunately, all this is going to cost the consumer. It didn’t help that Apple didn’t reveal how much a subscription to their new channel will be.
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