Apple has been making a strong push for original television projects lately, and that trend continues with the tech company now making a straight-to-series order for a new show created by Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle.
There is no official title or plot details for the series yet, but Variety reports that Chazelle will write and direct each episode of the series. He will also serve as executive producer on the project.
The series is the latest in a long string of television projects snatched up by Apple over the last few months. In mid-January, Apple won a competitive (according to various reports) bidding war for a scripted comedy series executive produced by and starring Kristen Wiig, with Reese Witherspoon’s production company bringing it to the screen. The show is based on Curtis Sittenfeld’s short-story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It and is the first scripted comedy series Apple brought under its banner.
Previously, Apple picked up a morning show drama executive produced by Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, starring the two actresses. Apple is also attached to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Amazing Stories anthology series, as well as a sci-fi drama titled See, from Battlestar Galactica reboot creator Ronald D. Moore.
On top of all those projects, Apple is also reportedly in a bidding war for J.J. Abrams’ next scripted series.
Chazelle’s series for Apple won’t be his first foray into television, as he’s currently onboard to direct the first two episodes of the upcoming Netflix drama series The Eddy, which follows the trials and tribulations of a live music club owner in Paris.
Chazelle famously wrote and directed 2014’s Whiplash, based on a short film he created, which was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three of them (for sound mixing, sound editing, and the performance of supporting actor J.K. Simmons). It was just his second feature directorial project, and it followed it with 2016’s La La Land, which went on to earn a record-tying 14 Academy Award nominations. It won six Academy Awards and made Chazelle the youngest winner of a “Best Director” award in Oscar history. (It was also famously — or perhaps infamously — mistakenly named the “Best Picture” winner during the 2017 Academy Awards, only to have its win rescinded on stage when Moonlight was confirmed to be the actual winner.)
There is no word on how Chazelle’s series for Apple will make its way to audiences at this point.
