Jessica Chastain has publicly challenged Apple TV+ following the streamer’s decision to hold her upcoming series “The Savant.”
Apple TV+ on Tuesday said it would be delaying the release of the show about domestic terrorism, which follows an investigator who infiltrates online hate groups. “The Savant” was originally slated to premiere its first two episodes Sept. 26, with successive ones to be released weekly through Nov. 7.
The streaming service did not disclose the reason for the delay, which comes weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University.
Representatives for Apple TV+ did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Chastain voiced her opposition to the postponement Wednesday on Instagram, writing that she and Apple were “not aligned” on the streamer’s decision.
“In the last five years since we’ve been making the show, we’ve seen an unfortunate amount of violence in the United States,” Chastain said. The Academy Award winner went on to cite the Jan. 6 insurrection and the Sept. 10 shooting death of Kirk among instances of political violence in recent years.
“I’ve never shied away from difficult subjects, and while I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is,” Chastain said.
“The Savant is about the heroes who work every day to stop violence before it happens, and honoring their courage feels more urgent than ever,” she said.
Chastain concluded her post saying she hopes the show will reach audiences soon. Apple has not yet announced a new release date for the series, which is based on Andrea Stanley’s 2019 Cosmopolitan article “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens.”
“The Savant” joins a number of titles that were shelved in previous years due to current events heightening the sensitivity of their themes.
In 2016, USA Network delayed the premiere of its drama series “Shooter” twice: after mass shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La. An episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” featuring a plotline about a school shooting threat was postponed following the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
More recently, several programs were pulled in the wake of Kirk’s death and the political turmoil that followed. The day after Kirk’s shooting, Comedy Central removed planned reruns of an episode of “South Park” that parodied Kirk and his nonprofit Turning Point USA.
Last week, ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely after the host made comments about Kirk’s shooter that the network deemed “ill-timed and insensitive.”
Upon his eagerly anticipated return Tuesday night, the late-night host said, while fighting back tears, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
He also thanked those on both ends of the political spectrum who had denounced his suspension.
“Thanks for telling your followers that our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television and that we have to stand up to it,” Kimmel said.
The late-night host also said ongoing efforts by the Trump administration, regulatory agencies and local networks to target shows like his are “un-American” and “not legal.”
