Tom Hanks’ WWII epic Greyhound reroutes for an Apple TV+ premiere

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Arm the torpedoes! Gather your courage and prepare to breach the surface, because no theater can withstand the ingenuity and strength of … wait. What? Oh. Oh my. Belay those orders, crew, and prepare to change course! We've just received orders that Tom Hanks' WWII battleship drama GREYHOUND will now wage war on Apple TV+, as part of a sudden and exclusive premiere plan.

Originally set for a Father's Day theatrical debut by way of Sony Pictures, it's recently been confirmed that GREYHOUND will now debut on Apple TV+. Now the biggest feature film commitment on Apple's behalf, GREYHOUND is directed by Aaron Schneider (GET LOW, INTO THE STORM) from a script written by Hanks, which is based on C.S. Forester's novel The Good Shepard.

Based on true events, and set in the early days of World War II, GREYHOUND shares the epic story of when an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by captain Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks) in his first command of a U.S. destroyer, crosses the treacherous North Atlantic while hotly pursued by wolf packs of Nazi U-boats.

Joining Hanks for GREYHOUND are stars Elisabeth Shue (ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, Amazon's THE BOYS TV series), Stephen Graham (SNATCH, THIS IS ENGLAND), Rob Morgan (MUDBOUND, GODLESS), and Carl Glusman (THE NEON DEMON, EMBERS), among others.

When GREYHOUND has its Apple TV+ premiere, the WWII epic will stream in more than 100 countries, and it's all because of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic. That's right, that pesky disease won't rest until it's knocked damn near every potential blockbuster from its intended release schedule. Some days, I wish that I could punch the coronavirus square in its non-existent face, one blow for every instance of pain and sorrow it's caused over the past several months. Sure my fists would be raw by the end of the flurry, but dammit, it would be worth it.

Getting back to the matter at hand, the rights to GREYHOUND were shopped in secrecy shortly after theaters were told to shut down. Thus began a fierce bidding war between streamers for the impressive-looking war story. According to sources, the closing bid for the film was in and around $70 million. Obviously, GREYHOUND is a major get for Apple, who apparently will stop at nothing until their streaming service is well-known for landing big time film commitments. Make no mistake about it, my friends, even the coronavirus can't stop the ongoing war for streaming service supremacy.

Apple has yet to reveal the release date for GREYHOUND, though people who're close to the deal have speculated that we'll be seeing it sooner rather than later.