Having already been tossed around the release schedule in 2019, Sony Pictures abandoned ship at the start of the pandemic when they sold Tom Hanks WWII drama Greyhound to Apple TV for a reported $70M. It sounds as though it was money well spent because the studio have announced that they are set to move forward on a sequel.
According to Deadline Tom Hanks and his Playtone Productions partner Gary Goetzman have signed a multi-year exclusive deal to make series, documentaries and unscripted projects for Apple that includes Hank’s in-the-can WWII series Masters of Air, as well as a sequel to Greyhound.
The critics might not have responded too kindly to the submarine thriller, but at the time of release Greyhound smashed the streaming-services records, with Apple saying it was “a viewing audience commensurate with a summer theatrical box office big hit.” and that 30% of accounts viewing the movie were new viewers to the service, which means that it was successful in bumping up those all-important subscriber numbers.
We called it “a tense, affecting sprint of a naval thriller elevated by his dependably righteous performance” in our review, but let us know what you thought of Greyhound, and whether you’re looking forward to setting sail again by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
In a thrilling story inspired by actual events, from a screenplay by and starring Tom Hanks, a first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the “Black Pit” in the Atlantic to the front lines of WW2. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.
Greyhound is currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
