Apple picks up Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds’ A Christmas Carol musical

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are two very funny men teaming up for a very unexpected project – a new, musical take on the literary classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL – which has now been scooped by Apple after a pricey bidding war. Major names like Paramount and Netflix were negotiating terms with everyone involved, but at the end of the day, it was the tech company that provided the most holiday cheer in the form of sweet, sweet green for the stars and writer-directors Sean Anders and John Morris (DADDY'S HOME).

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THR got the exclusive about Apple picking up the new project, but soon after Variety got the juicy details about the surprising financial arrangements that won them the deal. Word is that both Reynolds and Ferrell will be receiving paydays of $35 million and north of $30 million respectively, which Apple offered after the stars initially requested $27 million and $25 million respectively from other outlets like Netflix. The salaries take into account both the stars’ acting fees and producing fees, as well as their back-end compensation, as the two wouldn’t be getting that otherwise, given that an Apple release likely won’t be hitting theaters. Reynolds also apparently received paydays around $27 million for the upcoming Netflix movies SIX UNDERGROUND and RED NOTICE. 

As for Anders and Morris, the two will be getting $10-$15 million each for making the movie, bringing the early production amount to anywhere between $60-$75 million. There’s no word yet on the final numbers, but according to a source familiar with the deal said Apple came into the negotiations and “blew everyone out of the water.”

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Additionally, some curious provisions were put on the table by the filmmakers, in that they wanted to retain the rights to the music made for the movie. While they are open to making it rain money, Apple apparently didn’t bend to that and will retain the rights to the music. But on top of that, the filmmakers also asked that the rights to the movie go back to them after a period of 20-25 years. A uncommon request, the report noted Quentin Tarantino made the same request to Sony for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, but he is, of course, Quentin Tarantino, and can make such demands for what was a high-profile project with huge stars and Oscar potential.

So, what this proves is that Apple very much wanted this movie for their slate of original content. Netflix has also shelled out big money for movies like THE IRISHMAN, SIX UNDERGROUND and more, and all to establish themselves as major Hollywood players like the big studios. Apple has yet to even launch their upcoming streaming service, but they already have tons of projects on the docket in hopes of luring people over, like the new show THE MORNING SHOW with Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell. They may have overshot their pricepoint with Reynolds and Ferrell, but that just shows how badly they wanted this movie under their banner. They'll just look all the sillier now because everyone else knows Reynolds would've still done the movie had they only offered to have Ebeneezer Scrooge carry a bottle of Aviation Gin every now and again.