Apple Signs Overall TV Deal With Oscar-Winning Auteur Alfonso Cuarón

Ahead of the formal launch of Apple TV+ on Nov. 1, Apple is stepping up its content ambitions as it seeks to compete in a crowded field of established players and fellow newcomers.

After reportedly outbidding Netflix, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures for a live-action Christmas musical starring Will Ferrell (of Elf fame) and Ryan Reynolds, Apple now reportedly inked an overall television deal with noted auteur Alfonso Cuarón, Deadline reports.

The five-year pact has been in the works for a while, and calls for Cuarón’s production company, Esperanto Filmoj, to develop TV projects exclusively for Apple TV+. Cuarón, of course, is best known for helming Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Gravity, and, most recently, Netflix’s Roma — which took home three Academy Awards this year for ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Cinematographer’, and ‘Best Foreign Language Film’.

Cuarón is expected to team up on forthcoming series with longtime non-exclusive production partner Anonymous Content, Deadline reports, in addition to other collaborators. In light of the pact, Cuarón’s producing partner, Gabriela Rodriguez, will oversee Esperanto Filmoj out of its headquarters in London.

Apple TV+ also operates overall deals with Kerry Ehrin (Bates Motel, Friday Night Lights), Jason Katims (Parenthood, Roswell), and Justin Lin (Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond). At launch, the service will offer nine original series, including The Morning Show, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston; See, a dystopian drama starring Jason Momoa; and Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld as the beloved poet Emily Dickinson.