Apple held a special event this morning during which they announced a few release dates for their film acquisitions, along with showing off some first look stills from their Apple Studios originals coming later in 2022.
First up, Cooper Raif’s Sundance Audience Award winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth” will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 17th. In addition, Skydance’s animated feature “Luck” has locked in an August 5th premiere date and boasts a voice cast that includes Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery.
The photos released meanwhile tease some of the releases planned for this Fall that don’t have release dates yet. They include Henry Cavill and Dua Lipa in Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller “Argylle,” Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke in “Raymond and Ray,” Zac Efron in Peter Farrelly’s dramedy “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” which also stars Russell Crowe, and the holiday film “Spirited” starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer.
Also on the way are documentaries with an Oprah Winfrey-produced one about the career and life of the late Sidney Poitier coming in the Summer, one from Imagine Documentaries about Louis Armstrong arriving in the Fall, and “The Sound of 007” which will be timed to the franchise’s 60th anniversary.
The reveals however notably didn’t include some other high profile Apple Studios films that are expected before year’s end including Marton Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” the Tetris origin movie starring Taron Egerton, and the thriller “Sharper” starring Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan.
Apple is also moving into the sporting arena, announcing Friday Night Baseball in eight countries on Apple TV+ as soon as the regular MLB season begins.
The Friday night games will be free from local broadcast restrictions, across devices where Apple TV+ can be found and select smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes.
