Sofia Coppola says Apple canned her Edith Wharton series over 'unlikable' lead

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited November 2023

Sofia Coppola says executives dropped her Apple TV+ adaptation of an Edith Wharton novel because the company didn't want to center an unlikable lead woman.

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Coppola aimed to adapt Wharton's "The Custom of the Country," which chronicles a newly wealthy Midwesterner's attempt to infiltrate New York society. In 2020, Coppola said Undine Spragg, the novel's lead, is her favorite "literary anti-heroine" and that she was excited to bring the character to the screen for the first time.

However, Apple has decided to drop the project because they did not want a project centered on an unlikable female lead, reports the Los Angeles Times

Coppola believes the issue lies in the industry itself, stating that it's hard for female filmmakers to obtain funding or make projects at all. "If it's so hard for me to get financing as an established person, I worry about younger women starting out. It's surprising that it's still a struggle."

Coppola's first project with Apple TV+ was "On the Rocks," a dramedy that featured Rashida Jones and Bill Murray.

While Coppola's Wharton project won't be coming to Apple TV+, "The Buccaneers" -- an eight-part series based on another of Wharton's novels -- is set to premiere on November 8.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,034member
    Seems like a good enough reason.  Can't say I'd like to watch an unlikable male lead either.  Is Apple under some obligation to fund projects they don't want?  What's the point of the article?  What's next?  Perhaps an article about projects that are canned due to crap writing?

    Wait a second, I see it now.  The problem is that Apple didn't take the project they don't want because Coppola is a woman and not because they don't want it.  Boohoo.

    I don't know about this project or most of her other work but I've always liked Lost in Translation.
    edited November 2023 bandits1watto_cobrafrost_0ne
  • Reply 2 of 8
    HonkersHonkers Posts: 156member
    williamh said:
    Seems like a good enough reason.  Can't say I'd like to watch an unlikable male lead either.  Is Apple under some obligation to fund projects they don't want?  What's the point of the article?  What's next?  Perhaps an article about projects that are canned due to crap writing?
    It's news man.  You don't have to agree or disagree with it for it to be news.

    Pretty poor reason in my opinion.  Lots of great films have unlikeable or unsympathetic anti-hero leads, and Custom Of The Country is a great book.  But sure, Apple gonna Apple.
    williamlondonStrangeDaysSpitbath9secondkox2darkvader
  • Reply 3 of 8
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,891member
    williamh said:
    Seems like a good enough reason.  Can't say I'd like to watch an unlikable male lead either.  Is Apple under some obligation to fund projects they don't want?  What's the point of the article?  What's next?  Perhaps an article about projects that are canned due to crap writing?

    Wait a second, I see it now.  The problem is that Apple didn't take the project they don't want because Coppola is a woman and not because they don't want it.  Boohoo.

    I don't know about this project or most of her other work but I've always liked Lost in Translation.
    Incel-vibe: High
    SpitbathXed9secondkox2beowulfschmidtdarkvader
  • Reply 4 of 8
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,034member
    StrangeDays said:
    Incel-vibe: High
    Projecting a bit?
    ctt_zh9secondkox2
  • Reply 5 of 8
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,743member
    Stupid reason. Some turd with too much authority at Apple didn’t like the idea of the lead so they went all cancel culture on them. That crap needs to stop. Apple liked the adaptation concept enough to move forward. Let the artists be artists. The fact that the lead character is supposed to be unlikeable is part of the appeal of the story. Apple can make the Apple TV plus service work and function and leave the art to the creators. If it didn’t pan out, then they can cancel. The producer should be able to create according to their vision. Just another reason Apple TV hasn’t and won’t dominate the streaming scene. 
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 6 of 8
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,898member
    Americans don’t do period pieces very well, maybe that’s part of the decision.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    1348513485 Posts: 349member
    9secondkox2 said:
    Stupid reason. Some turd with too much authority at Apple didn’t like the idea of the lead so they went all cancel culture on them. That crap needs to stop. Apple liked the adaptation concept enough to move forward. Let the artists be artists. The fact that the lead character is supposed to be unlikeable is part of the appeal of the story. Apple can make the Apple TV plus service work and function and leave the art to the creators. If it didn’t pan out, then they can cancel. The producer should be able to create according to their vision. Just another reason Apple TV hasn’t and won’t dominate the streaming scene. 
    It's not a stupid reason, nor is it probably the only reason. There's not a channel or streamer in the world that does not exercise selective evaluation of proposed projects. Art has consequences. Create whatever you want, but that doesn't mean someone else has to pay for it.
    williamhFileMakerFellerdarbus69thtfrost_0ne
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