Apple looking to TV-MA content in talks to adapt gritty Israeli drama for U.S. audience

Apple may be taking its first steps to move away from the family friendly content that it was originally reported to be focusing on, with a new report from CNBC indicating that the company is now in a bidding war to acquire the violent Israeli drama “Nevelot” (“Bastards”). The show would become Apple’s “Breaking Bad,” a gritty drama about two disgruntled military veterans who don’t believe that modern kids understand the sacrifices of their generation and go on a youth-focused killing spree as a result. Sources with knowledge of the deal report that Apple is in advanced talks to purchase the rights to the show for a U.S. adaptation, against competitors that include Showtime, FX, and Amazon. While the deal is not yet finalized, Richard Gere is in talks to star in the series, which would be co-produced with 21st Century Fox after previously being under development at HBO. Howard Gordon, known for his work on of “24” and “Homeland” and Warren Leight, who worked on “Law and Order: SVU” and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”, are lined up as show-runners who would oversee reformatting it for the American market. While a violent show like this runs in opposition to Apple’s usually conservative standards, and even recent reports have continued to emphasize that Apple doesn’t want shows that include “violence, politics or rude language,” multiple people who have spoken to Apple’s execs in recent months have said that this is simply not the case, and Apple does in fact consider TV-MA content fair game.