Apple TV+ is quietly carving out a niche of excellence in adult-oriented dramas in comparison to the streaming heavyweights of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and others.
Apple TV+ may be the smallest of all the top-end streaming platforms at an estimated 25 million subscribers when compared to Netflix (238.4 million), Disney+ (157.8 million), Prime Video (~157.8 million, although Amazon doesn't differentiate subscribers signed up for the free shipping vs its viewing platform), Max (96.1 million), and Hulu (48.3 million) but it has attracted some serious A-list talent and produced several award winners such as The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Invasion, Isaac Asimov's Foundation, and more.
Apple TV+ is hoping that the next series to join the upper ranks of its original programming list is its adaptation of The Changeling, which is based on the 2017 horror fantasy drama from Victor LaValle. The novel has won several awards including Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel in 2017 and Locus Award for Best Horror Novel in 2018.
The adaptation stars LaKeith Stanfield as Apollo Kagwa, a used bookseller who pursues and woos Clark Backo's Emma Valentine. When the two have a child, Kagwa suspects that Emma's detachment is just a case of post-partum depression but there's something more magical and sinister at work.
Following the release of the first trailer for the series, Apple TV has dropped a new featurette that has Stanfield and Backo taking audiences behind the scenes of the upcoming show. Check it out below.
The Changeling will premiere on September 8, 2023, releasing the first three episodes at once. The show will then release new episodes in a weekly format, concluding its 8-episode first season on October 12, 3023.
Based on the acclaimed bestselling book of the same name by Victor LaValle, “The Changeling” is a fairytale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed. Starring and executive produced by Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield (“Atlanta,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Sorry to Bother You,” “The Book of Clarence”), the series also stars Clark Backo, Adina Porter, Samuel T. Herring, Alexis Louder, Jared Abrahamson and special guest star Malcolm Barrett.
“The Changeling” is written and adapted by showrunner and executive producer Kelly Marcel (“Cruella,” “Venom,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”). The pilot episode was directed by Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim,” “Insecure”).
The series is produced by Apple Studios and Annapurna. Megan Ellison, Patrick Chu and Ali Krug are executive producers on behalf of Annapurna. Showrunner Marcel, the book’s author LaValle, David Knoller and director Jonathan van Tulleken executive produce alongside star Stanfield. Director Matsoukas serves as executive producer through her De La Revolución Films. Sue Naegle and David Wolkis also serve as executive producer, with Khaliah Neal as co-executive producer.