Apple TV+ snaps up another Tom Hanks movie

Apple is once again betting on a Tom Hanks movie to attract viewers and awards. Deadline has learned that Apple TV+ has bought the rights to Finch (formerly Bios), a sci-fi movie that stars Hanks as the namesake character who builds a robot to take care of his dog once he's gone. The three set out into a post-apocalyptic American West where Finch teaches his robot the "joy and wonder" of being alive.

The tech giant won a "very competitive" bidding war between streaming services, according to Deadline. Finch was originally meant as a Universal release. It's directed by Emmy-winning Game of Thrones lead Miguel Sapochnik and counts Blade Runner veteran Ivor Powell as a screenwriter alongside newcomer Craig Luck.

The movie might be Apple's ticket to more critical acclaim. Finch is expected to release later in 2021, possibly during the award-chasing season in the fall. A qualifying theatrical debut is reportedly in the works. Hanks' Greyhound, along with the animated Wolfwalkers, was one of Apple's first Oscar-nominated movies — it won't be surprising if the company hopes the A-list actor can pick up more nods.

It's not certain how much Apple paid for Finch. The firm hasn't been shy about spending huge sums to land promising and high-profile movies, though, including the Sundance hit CODA and Martin Scorcese's big-budget Killers of the Flower Moon. Apple is determined to make TV+ a viable competitor to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and that means paying whatever it takes to match or beat its rivals' biggest offerings.