Apple Original Films announced via press release that they had acquired the film Causeway, starring and produced by Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence. The film is helmed by Lila Neugebauer, known for her work on Broadway with The Waverly Gallery and The Last Thing He Told Me. In addition, she has directing credits on several television series, including The Sex Lives of College Girls, Maid, and Room 104.
The only other cast member confirmed to appear is Brian Tyree Henry, known for the TV series Atlanta and the upcoming film Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. The A24 film will make its global debut in theaters and on Apple TV+ later this year. Causeway is written by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders. Lawrence produces the film alongside Justine Ciarrocchi. Causeway is described as an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.
Apple has already seen success with original films, as they bought CODA for $25 million last year. The film went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Apple became the first streaming service to take home the top prize at the Academy Awards after launching in 2019.
Apple has a busy schedule ahead, including Raymond & Ray starring Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke; The Greatest Beer Run Ever starring Zac Efron; Spirited featuring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, and Martin Scorcese’s highly anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Jennifer Lawrence is Back in Action Following Her Break From the Industry
Jennifer Lawrence returned to the big screen in 2021 with the comedy/drama Don’t Look Up, which received four Oscar nominations. However, before her return, Lawrence felt like she needed a break from the entertainment industry. During an interview with Variety, the actress shared her reasoning behind the nearly two-year-long hiatus.
“I was not pumping out the quality that I should have. I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I’d gotten sick of me. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn’t do anything right. If I walked a red carpet, it was ‘Why didn’t she run?’… I think that I was people-pleasing for the majority of my life. Working made me feel like nobody could be mad at me: ‘Okay, I said yes, we’re doing it. Nobody’s mad.’ And then I felt like I reached a point where people were not pleased just by my existence. So that kind of shook me out of thinking that work or your career can bring any kind of peace to your soul.”
Fans were delighted to see the actress return to her career in Don’t Look Up, and Lawrence is coming back full force with Causeway and a still-untitled R-rated comedy film. The release date for Causeway is still unknown; however, Apple claims the film will make its way to theaters and its streaming service sometime this year.
