'Finch', Sci-Fi Drama Where Tom Hanks Builds An Android To Protect His Dog, Heads To Apple TV+

Bios, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama where Tom Hanks plays a scientist who creates an android to watch over his dog, has a new title and a new home. The film is now called Finch and it's headed to Apple TV+. Amblin Entertainment produced the film, and it was originally going to be distributed by Universal Pictures in theaters this August. Now, Apple TV+ is planning on releasing it sometime later this year. This isn't Hanks's first film to move from theaters to Apple TV+, either. His World War II drama Greyhound was originally set up at Sony before moving to the streaming service.

The movie release landscape is in a weird space right now. While big blockbusters will slowly make their way back to being released exclusively to theaters, it's all but certain that somewhat smaller films are going to have themselves an uphill battle. That was true even before the pandemic, but things have only become more muddled and uncertain in the last year. Which means you can expect more and more titles once intended for the big screen to be sold off to streaming services. The latest is Finch, a film that was once called Bios.

Finch comes from director Miguel Sapochnik and stars Tom Hanks as "the last man on Earth, an ailing inventor name Finch...As he nears death, he builds an android to protect his beloved dog." This premise sounds weird and unique, and also like it's going to make people cry their damn eyes out. The cast also includes Caleb Landry Jones, Samira Wiley, and Skeet Ulrich. Craig Luck and Ivor Powell wrote the script.

The film was originally set for an April theatrical release date but then got moved to August. Now, it's in the hands of Apple TV+. Per Variety, "Insiders suggest the pic was sold to Apple TV Plus due to the impaired theatrical landscape. Though the movie theater business appears to be on the mend after nearly a year of COVID-19-related closures, some executives think Finch will be better served on a streaming service, given the crowded release schedule in 2021." Now it's unlikely the film will see any sort of theatrical release.

This is the second time a Tom Hanks film originally set for theaters went to Apple TV+. Greyhound, the WWII movie for dads everywhere, was initially intended for theaters before it ended up there. Apple says they had great success with that film, although, like every other major streamer, they didn't release actual viewership numbers, so we have to just take their word for it.