Apple’s Eddy Cue on ‘F1’ Sequel, Why Apple TV Has Never Licensed Library Content and Being Inspired by Steve Jobs
Apple hasn’t officially greenlit a sequel to last year’s blockbuster “F1: The Movie,” but Eddy Cue — who oversees the tech giant’s entertainment businesses — said one will “hopefully” be coming, in partnership once again with Jerry Bruckheimer.
Cue, senior vice president of services and health at Apple, took the main stage at the Cannes Palais convention center Monday at the Cannes Lions festival with Bruckheimer, the longtime Hollywood producer who teamed with Apple for last year’s hit “F1: The Movie” for Apple Original Films. Cue’s appearance was queued up for his recognition as Cannes Lions’ Entertainment Person of the Year, with the festival citing his leadership of the tech giant’s entertainment and services businesses, including Apple Music and the Apple TV streaming service.
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“I can’t even say this is a dream come true, because I couldn’t even dream that way,” Cue told Bruckheimer about the award. “I have an amazing team of folks I get to work with every day that have made this all possible. The great thing is we’re just getting started, so there’s a lot more to do.”
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Bruckheimer kicked off the conversation by praising Cue and the Apple team. “I’m really excited because we’re going to come back and hopefully make another ‘F1,'” he said. Bruckheimer also has another movie project in the works with Apple about UFOs alongside producer Joseph Kosinski that he described as “kind of ‘All the President’s Men’ about what the government’s been hiding about UAPs [unidentified anomalous phenomena] all these years.” Said Bruckheimer: “It’s going to be a true story, and it’s going to be, I mean, mind-boggling.”
About working with Apple, Bruckheimer said, “When you have the team that Eddy put together, along with all the previous inventions that they had, it makes it so easy to work at a place like that.”
Starring Brad Pitt as a race car driver who comes out of retirement to make a run at the Formula 1 circuit, “F1: The Movie” took in $634 million at the worldwide box office — making it Pitt’s biggest movie of all time, Cue noted. “One of the things that I loved about it is you felt great when you walked out,” he said, adding: “You loved it when you were walking out of [a movie theater] or watching it alone.”
According to Cue, the way Apple operates today is still based on “the foundation beliefs” of Steve Jobs. “There’s no doubt, I think, that he’d be incredibly proud of the work that we’ve done in this area,” Cue said.
Cue recalled that early in his career, before Apple was even thinking about building its own entertainment studio, he once asked Steve Jobs — who was the CEO of Apple and Pixar at the same time — “Why is it that Pixar can always create one hit after another, and that doesn’t happen everywhere else?” Jobs’ comment was it’s “always about the story,” Cue said. “It begins and ends with the story. If you don’t have a story, you can’t have a great show, and that always resonated with me about the things that we’re trying to do.”
Cue recalled that when Apple was gearing up ahead of the 2019 launch of Apple TV+, “at the time there was certainly lots of other companies out there doing it. We didn’t have any knowledge [of the streaming business], but we had this belief that everyone was chasing a lot of quantity and not quality, and we’ve always been about trying to be the best, not the most, and so we wanted to build television and movies a place where the best storytellers, the best creators, the best writers, the best directors would want to come work there and do their best work.”
Apple decided from the get-go that it wouldn’t license content for the streaming service, Cue said.
“We did something that I believe that most people told me you couldn’t do, and they were probably right, which is you can’t start a movie or TV [streaming service] without licensing content and getting some of the old content that’s out there,” he told Bruckheimer. “But we’ve always felt like if we were putting our name on it, it was kind of weird we were going to put our name on something we didn’t help create, so we said we’re going to start with nothing, we’re going to start with something that all shows that we create, which meant we had, you know, five or six shows when we launched the service.”
Cue said it took him two years to find the right execs to head Apple’s original entertainment division, ultimately hiring former Sony Pictures Television execs Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg in 2017. “The most important thing was the people that we were going to hire and the people that we were going to work with,” he said.
Cue gave a shout-out to Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston as the “first people to believe in us” when they were pitching “The Morning Show” around town.
“I thought the show was amazing,” Cue said. “But we had to go and convince them, and obviously others wanted the show as well… and I came down to the realization that we weren’t going to get it, because somebody would always offer more, or whatever, but I thought we were special, and so I asked for a meeting with both of them.” Cue asked Witherspoon and Aniston “whether they thought they were going to make one of the best shows ever in television. They said yes, and I said, ‘So do I. I think it’s going to be one of the best. That means you need to do it with us, and the reason you have to do it with us is because we don’t have any other shows! So we believe 100% in what you’re doing, and we’re going to launch our service on that.”
Cue proudly noted that Apple TV is now an EGOT winner, after the Broadway musical adaptation of original series “Schmigadoon!” won a Tony award. Apple earned the Oscar for best picture for its uplifting 2021 drama “CODA,” while it took home a Grammy for Chris Stapleton’s “Bad as I Used to Be” from “F1: The Movie.” The company has won multiple Emmys, with Apple TV’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” last year taking home 13 trophies, a record for a comedy series in a single year as well as for a first-year series.
“So we’ve had a lot of success with people recognizing the work,” Cue said, “but it comes down to the people you hire and the people that surround you.”
Meanwhile, Bruckheimer admitted that he never really knows if a movie he’s making will become a hit. “You think you know it’s going to be a hit, but nobody knows,” he said. “And I’ve been in Hollywood long enough where I’ve seen movies that test it through the roof, and nobody showed up.”
Cue is an Apple lifer, having joined the company in 1989. After steering the launch of iTunes (2003) and the App Store (2008), he has led Apple’s expansion into TV and movies with the Apple TV streaming service.
In his closing remarks at the Palais, Cue again expressed gratitude that he and Apple have been recognized with the Cannes Lions award. “I was a computer science major, engineering major, and for me to be here and what we’ve accomplished in this area, I could have never imagined,” said Cue. He added to Bruckheimer, “You’re a true legend, but the best part about it is you’re a true legend still creating incredible things.”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
