Jessica Chastain is not happy about Apple’s decision to pull her political thriller The Savant from its lineup in response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I value my partnership with Apple. They’ve been incredible collaborators and I deeply respect their team,” the Oscar winner wrote to Instagram, but “we’re not aligned on the decision to pause the release.” She added, “While I respect Apple’s decision to pause the release for now, I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon.”
The series was originally scheduled to premiere with two episodes on Friday, but an Apple TV+ spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” though they vaguely indicated the series may be released at a “future date.”
The Savant stars Chastain as an undercover investigator who infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to preempt future crimes. The real unnamed investigator’s story the series is based on was publicized by Cosmopolitan in 2019 with the article, “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?”
“I track people who are planning attacks,” Chastain says in character in a trailer announcing the show’s release date as Sept. 26. “My job is pretending to think like them to stop those people from doing really bad things.”
The Savant would have entered the national conversation on the heels of the Sept. 10 shooting murder of Kirk—a controversial figure, who though lauded by conservatives, has been accused of inciting hate speech. While Apple may have hoped to not become swept into the ongoing controversy over how to discuss Kirk’s commentary in the wake of his assassination, Chastain is holding the company’s feet to the fire about the decision to shelve the show.
“In the last five years since we’ve been making the show, we’ve seen an unfortunate amount of violence in the United States,” Chastain wrote Wednesday, referring to the wave of violence rocking the country, including Kirk’s murder. “These incidents, though far from encompassing the full range of violence witnessed in the United States, illustrate a broader mindset that crosses the political spectrum and must be confronted.”
“I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is,” she continued. “The Savant is about the heroes who work every day to stop violence before it happens, and honoring their courage feels more urgent than ever.”
She acknowledged that Apple’s choice to remove the premiere date may be more than just a temporary hold out when she concluded, “I’ll let you know if and when The Savant is released.”
The post Oscar Winner Slams Apple for Dropping Show After Kirk Death appeared first on The Daily Beast.
