Tom Hanks war drama 'Greyhound' comes to Apple TV+ on July 10th

Greyhound, the World War II sea battle drama starring Tom Hanks, will make its debut on Apple TV+ July 10th, Apple has announced. Greyhound represents Apple’s biggest investment in a feature film yet, as it splashed out $70 million for the worldwide rights.

Hanks stars as the first-time captain of a US Navy destroyer. His mission is to protect a 37-ship convoy carrying troops and suppliers over a treacherous, German U-boat-infested stretch of the Atlantic. The film is directed by Aaron Schneider and Hanks himself wrote the script based on C.S. Forester’s novel The Good Shepherd.

Greyhound went through a tumultuous period ahead of its release. Sony Pictures planned to release it in theaters, but that idea was stymied by the COVID-19 pandemic that shut cinema chains worldwide. Instead, Sony auctioned the rights and Apple TV+ was the surprise winner. By acquiring Greyhound, Apple showed it was willing to spend big to compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming majors.

Apple TV+ also partnered with Hanks (and Steven Spielberg) on the WW II series Masters of the Air. Other projects coming to the $4.99 per month service soon include Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, the Spike Jonze doc Beastie Boys Story and Defending Jacob with Chris Evans.