'Greyhound' star Tom Hanks isn't a fan of the movie's Apple TV+ debut

Tom Hanks Greyhound (Image credit: Apple TV+)

What you need to know

Tom Hanks stars in Apple TV+ movie "Greyhound" and is on the media trail.
He's spoken about his disappointment that the movie isn't airing in cinemas.
He also has a swipe at Apple TV+ "overlords" as well.

Star of Apple TV+ movie "Greyhound" Tom Hanks has been speaking with The Guardian about everything from his Apple TV+ "overlords" to dealing with his own COVID-19 infection. But it's his words on Apple that are most interesting to us.

During the interview Hanks notes that "Greyhound" missing its theatrical release due to the pandemic is "an absolute heartbreak" and that the Apple TV+ launch just isn't the same.

Greyhound has been an especial labour of love for him, one he sweated over for almost a decade, and it is one of those sweeping war movies that really should be seen on the big screen. So the change in plans has been, he says, "an absolute heartbreak. I don't mean to make angry my Apple overlords, but there is a difference in picture and sound quality."

Hanks even laments the fact he was told how he was allowed to give the video interview, right down to the wall that would be his background. There were to be no books, no pictures. No anything, it turns out.

Apple TV+ is having a similarly negative impact on Hanks' appearance in this interview. Even though he is in his office, "the cruel whipmasters at Apple" decided the background needed to be a blank wall, presumably so nosy journalists like me wouldn't spend the whole encounter snooping at Hanks' bookcases. Against the eerily empty backdrop, he looks, Hanks rightly says, as if he's in "a witness protection programme. But here I am, bowing to the needs of Apple TV."

Ultimately, "Greyhound" us undoubtedly a movie that would have benefited from being available to cinema-goers. But that simply isn't possible. Hanks obviously knows that as much as anyone – he's dealt with COVID-19 himself. But I can imagine missing out on the big, glitzy premiere for a movie you've worked so hard on is quite the kick in the teeth.

Apple TV+ subscribers will be able to watch "Greyhound," at home, from July 10.

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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.