This image released by Apple TV Plus shows, from left, Nicholas Hoult, Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie in a scene from “The Banker." (Apple TV Plus via AP)
By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Apple has canceled the premiere of one of the tech company's first original films, "The Banker" the day before it was to debut at Los Angeles' AFI Fest.
In a statement Wednesday, Apple said that last week it learned of "some concerns" surrounding "The Banker" and needs "some time to look into these matters." An Apple spokesperson declined to elaborate.
The based-on-a-true-story film stars Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie. Mackie plays Bernard Garrett who in the 1950s and '60s recruited a white man to pose as the face of his expansive real estate and banking business. In 1968, Garrett was convicted of misusing bank funds.
The film is Apple's boldest step yet into moviemaking. A theatrical release is scheduled for Dec. 6, after which it would be a part of the company's new streaming service, Apple TV Plus.
AFI said it would replace "The Banker" with a screening of Noah Baumbach's Netflix release "Marriage Story" as its closing-night film.
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
