What you need to know
- Apple has pulled the plug on the Apple TV+ drama series Bastards.
- The series was an American remake of the Israeli series Nevelot.
- It was set to star Richard Gere, but creative differences led to its cancellation.
Apple's slate of possible content for Apple TV+ is getting smaller after it opted to cancel the drama series "Bastards." The series was set to star Richard Gere, but creative differences between Apple and the showrunners led to the cancellation.
According to Variety, showrunners Howard Gordon and Warren Leight were set to pen the script and produce the series but ran into issues with Apple. The series involved a dark turn that saw the two main characters go on a shooting spree. That idea is highly problematic in the today's climate given the issues with gun control. It's unclear if that was the main reason Apple nixed the series, but it came with a cost as the decision led to a "large financial penalty to the producers."
The series was going to be an American remake of the Israeli series Nevelot. The word translates to "bastards" in English and thus was the unofficial title of the series. The plot would have focused on two elderly Vietnam veterans and lifelong friends who find their lives turned into turmoil after the woman they both loved is killed. It is here that they decide to go on their rampage.
This marks the second time a series has been scrapped for Apple TV+. Previously, Apple pulled the plug on the series "Vital Signs" from Dr. Dre.
Apple still has a healthy dose of content lined up for the Apple TV+ debut in the fall, though it is running into some dead ends with a few projects it had in the works.
