Apple Original Films is developing Sacrament, a star vehicle for Damson Idris with Jonathan Levine attached to direct, Deadline reports. The project remains in early development and would be produced by Apple Studios and Chernin Entertainment under Chernin’s first-look feature deal with Apple.
Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson wrote the script. The logline follows two Chicago cops-turned-contractors who track a runaway thief to a remote, fortified township in Sacrament, Utah, where a routine job escalates into a battle in which they are outnumbered and outgunned.
Why Apple is moving now
The package reads as a talent-retention play after a breakout. F1: The Movie grossed $634 million worldwide and landed multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Apple and Idris were already looking for another project; Chernin brought the script to Idris.
The project also reconnects Idris with Mileti and Wilson, who worked with him on FX’s Snowfall. For Chernin, it extends a first-look slate that has already delivered Apple TV titles such as Chief of War, See, Truth Be Told and the Emmy-winning documentary series The War for Football.
Levine brings his own commercial heat. His upcoming sports drama Mr. Irrelevant opens Christmas Day and impressed Tom Cruise enough that Levine was tapped to direct the Days of Thunder sequel.
The read for the business
For streamers, a hit is not just a title; it is a relationship that can be converted into pipeline. Apple is not announcing an F1 sequel here. It is using a proven star, a first-look producer and writers with a shared hit history to de-risk an original film.
- Apple is converting theatrical success into a new star vehicle rather than waiting on a franchise plan.
- Chernin’s first-look arrangement is doing its job: feeding material to a star Apple wants to keep.
- Levine’s attachment adds momentum after his Days of Thunder sequel news.
What to watch next
The project is still early development, so budgets, dates and release strategy are open. The next meaningful update is a greenlight. Watch whether Apple commits to theatrical or streaming-first, and how Idris’s schedule with Miles & Juliette and Netflix’s The Lords’ Day shapes timing.
Source: Deadline
