Jessica Chastain Isn't Pleased Apple Pulled Her Show About Fighting White Supremacists

Last edited Thu Sep 25, 2025, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

“While I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is,” the Oscar winner said of her new thriller series, The Savant, which Apple TV+ has delayed in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/jessica-chastain-the-savant-apple-pulled

https://archive.ph/xtkoZ



Apple TV+ is raising eyebrows after abruptly shelving Jessica Chastain’s new thriller series, The Savant. On September 23, three days before the drama’s original release date, the streaming service announced that the series would be delayed indefinitely: “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” Apple said in a statement. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”

The show, based on a 2019 Cosmopolitan feature, centers on Chastain’s character, Jodi Goodwin, as she infiltrates online hate groups to prevent domestic terrorism. Apple’s decision came on the heels of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting, an event that has polarized an already fractured social and political landscape.

Chastain connected these dots herself in a statement about the postponement published on Instagram. There, the Oscar winner said she and Apple are “not aligned on the decision to pause the release of The Savant.” Chastain then listed several violent incidents that have occurred since she started working on the series five years ago: the kidnapping plot against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer; the January 6 Capitol riot; the assassinations of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband; the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump; the killing of Kirk; and more than 300 mass shootings in 2025 alone.

“These incidents, though far from encompassing the full range of violence witnessed in the United States, illustrate a broader mindset that crosses the political spectrum and must be confronted,” Chastain continued. “I’ve never shied away from difficult subjects, and while I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is. 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.”

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