Apple is in talks with Skydance Animation to acquire the studio’s features Luck and Spellbound for its streaming service Apple TV+. According to reports, the films are part of a bigger deal between David Ellison’s animation division and the streamer. The features are currently set up at Paramount, however, Skydance’s deal allows the company to move the movies at will.
Luck is a comedy feature about a very unlucky girl who discovers the world of good and bad luck. It is directed by Peggy Holmes (The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, The Pirate Fairy), who replaced Alessandro Carloni earlier this year. It is set for a theatrical release on 18 February 2022.
Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale), is a musical fantasy feature “set in a world of magic where a young girl must break the spell that has split her kingdom in two.” It is currently dated for 11 November 2022 release.
This is the second instance recently where Skydance is selling one of their Paramount movies to a streamer. Earlier this year, they sold Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan to Amazon, which will debut the movie next year.
In the past year, Skydance has found major success with two hits on Netflix: 6 Underground and The Old Guard. It is now in production of The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy.
Apple has released one original animated feature to date: Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers.