Apple just picked up an upcoming musical drama-comedy from Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and Waitress star Sara Bareilles.
According to reports, the tech company has ordered 10 episodes of Little Voice, a series that will follow its characters on a journey to find their unique and authentic voices in the music industry.
J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles Unite For Upcoming Apple Series
The upcoming half-hour series is described as a "love letter to the diverse musicality of New York." Bareilles, an established singer-songwriter with multiple Grammy nominations under her belt, will pen the original music for the series. It is unclear whether she will also star in the project.
The title of the show, Little Voices, is from Bareilles' second studio album released back in 2007.
Meanwhile, Jessie Nelson will write and direct the first three episodes of the dramedy. In addition, the renowned screenwriter and producer, who previously worked on Academy Award-nominated movie I Am Sam, will sit as the showrunner of the series.
Abrams will executive produce the series alongside Ben Stephenson and Bareilles.
Apple's TV Plans
The acquisition of Little Voices was finalized months after Apple reportedly got into a heated bidding war with HBO in January. According to reports, the tech company was eyeing another Abrams project, a science fiction series titled Demimonde, but HBO was able to win to create and distribute the series.
Apple has also recently acquired a comedy sketch show from Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig, the reboot of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, and a sci-fi title from Ronald Moore of Battlestar Galactica.
The aforementioned titles will be added to the company's ongoing shows including Carpool Karaoke based on the viral segment from CBS' The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Apple is currently in the process of turning itself into a major player in the entertainment industry. The New York Times revealed in a previous report that the company has already outspent Facebook and YouTube in the acquisition of original programming. It initially had a budget of $1 billion for content, but industry experts are sure that the company will spend more in the coming months.
It also has already beaten Netflix in bidding wars.
The first few shows from the tech giant might premiere as early as March 2019, according to speculations. Whether Apple will release its own streaming service to rival Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon remains unclear. So far, the company's shows can be accessed via mobile and television apps.
