There are already plenty of high-profile individuals working with Apple to help add content to its upcoming streaming service, Apple TV+. Names like Jason Momoa (See), Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show), Hailee Steinfeld (Dickinson), J.J. Abrams (My Glory Was I Had Such Friends), Oprah (!) (Oprah’s Book Club), and many others. And now that list includes Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.
Variety has the report on Tuesday, detailing the next biggest piece of content heading for Apple TV+. Apple has just inked a huge deal that will see a new, live-action rendition of Charles Dickens’s Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol”. This new musical will star Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. And apparently Apple shelled out a lot of money to beat out competitors like Netflix, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. to land this deal.
And the people working on the upcoming film, which will apparently still be called A Christmas Carol stand to make a lot of money from the deal, too:
Reynolds and Ferrell stand to make a staggering amounts as producers and stars, along with significant paydays for writer-directors Sean Anders and John Morris (“Daddy’s Home,” “Instant Family”). Fees for talent alone will clock in at north of $60 million, according to numerous insiders. That includes Anders and Morris’ $10 million to $15 million paydays for creating the movie and overseeing its production.
As it stands right now, it’s not known just how much Apple paid to land this production. Reynolds apparently was asking for around $27 million (and up to $35 million) for his role in the musical, as well as producer services. Ferrell, meanwhile, was seeking around $25 million to star and produce the big-budget musical.
No word on a release date just yet, nor when production will actually begin. Apple is in the process of nailing down final negotiations now. However, it will land on Apple TV+ at some point in the future, so if you’re into musicals, or any of the (announced) actors planning to star in it, this might be one to keep an eye out for.
Apple TV+ launches on November 1.