After a string of uninspiring moves in the TV space, it appears that Apple is finally starting to step up to the plate. Just yesterday, word surfaced that Apple finally inked a deal for a Television show that may actually be worth watching. To this point, Apple signed a deal with legendary director Steven Spielberg that will see Apple release a reboot of the 1980s fantasy/sci-fi show Amazing Stories. The show only had a three-year run on NBC, but it managed to win an impressive 12 Emmy nominations while on the air.
Beyond that, and speaking to Apple’s increased interest in the TV space, a new report from The Real Deal relays that Apple may be interested in leasing a 85,000 square foot facility in LA as a creative space for future original content productions.
The company is in talks to lease the entirety of Hackman Capital Partners’ 85,000-square-foot creative office development at 5500 W. Jefferson Boulevard near Culver City, sources said. The space, which sits near the La Cienga Expo Line Station, would be used for production.
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If completed, the lease could be Apple’s second with Hackman. There are rumors that the company is in talks to move its original content division to Hackman-owned Culver Studios. Hackman also developed the headquarters of Beats By Dre, a company Apple now owns, in Culver City.
Apple hasn’t made a big splash in the TV space just yet, but it’s certainly willing to pay to play. As you may recall, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg — Apple’s TV gurus who formerly worked at Sony — were reportedly given a $1 billion fund to be used for developing, producing, and acquiring original content. That’s certainly more than enough money to get Apple’s TV initiative off the ground. As we covered a few years back, it would cost Apple a tad over $500,000 million to develop and produce a selection of 10 high-quality programs a’la Game of Thrones and House of Cards.
All that said, and in light of the forgettable dud that was Planet of the Apps, Apple’s TV efforts have nowhere to go but up.
