Apple TV+ Movie 'The Banker' AFI Fest Premiere Canceled as Apple Investigates Film 'Concerns' [Update: Theatrical Release Delayed Too]

Upcoming Apple TV+ film "The Banker" was set to have its world premiere at the AFI Fest in Hollywood on Thursday, but its debut has been postponed by Apple, reports Deadline.

Apple is holding the show to investigate "recently uncovered and potentially damaging charges" surfaced by a family member of the late Bernard Garrett Sr, who the movie is based on.


In a statement, Apple said that "concerns" surrounding the film were brought to the company's attention, and its premiere has been delayed as Apple investigates.

We purchased The Banker earlier this year as we were moved by the film's entertaining and educational story about social change and financial literacy. Last week some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention. We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps. In light of this, we are no longer premiering The Banker at AFI Fest.

"The Banker" is based on the true story of Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, who devised a plan to help African Americans get access to real estate deals and bank loans during the 1960s.

The film stars Samuel L. Jackson as Joe Morris and Anthony Mackie as Bernard Garett, along with Nicholas Hoult and Nia Long.

Apple has already set a theatrical release date of December 6 for the movie, and it's not yet clear if it will still come out on that date. Following its theatrical debut, "The Banker" was set to come out on ‌Apple TV+‌.

Update: Apple has delayed the theatrical release of "The Banker" and it's not yet clear if and when the movie will see a release.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

konqerror Avatar
61 months ago
Apple TV+ should make a show based on itself. It seems ideal: plenty of drama and social justice at the same time.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DDustiNN Avatar
61 months ago
Let me guess... someone was offended?
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alphaod Avatar
61 months ago

I mean it says someone related to the guy the movie is about has made "serious accusations" about him, so for all you know he could be a child rapist - is that not offensive enough for you?
Did he get accused of being a child rapist, because I didn't read that anywhere.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmoliv Avatar
61 months ago
Let me guess, the social justice "hero" the movie is about is a creep after all... :lol:
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danny842003 Avatar
61 months ago

So now Apple is playing "gate keeper" for what video content we can see and not see?
Their attempt to provide original content will be an epic failure.
Why? Because you take any movie/actors and someone somewhere will ALWAYS be offended.
And once you start rolling over to the demands of the rabble, you will never have any backbone to ever stand again.
i don’t think you can accuse them of being a gatekeeper by not releasing their own movie. When they start restricting other media then you can make all the claims you want.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonblatho Avatar
61 months ago

Did he get accused of being a child rapist, because I didn't read that anywhere.
I think it’s pretty obvious that the person was speculating as to how serious the accusation could be. In any case, whatever it is, the accusation is serious enough that AFI Fest did something “virtually unprecedented” in pulling the movie as its closing-night film, per the Deadline article linked in the story, pending more information.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)