Steven Spielberg is writing a scary series you can only stream after midnight

[Shawn Knight]

The big picture: Spielberg's new project for Quibi is unique in that it can only be viewed after midnight. While this restriction certainly helps to set the mood for a scary show, it's going to artificially limit who can watch the series. For example, what if you work the graveyard shift and don't have time to tune in at night?

Renowned director, producer and writer Steven Spielberg is working on a horror series that’ll only be available to stream after midnight.

The series, currently being developed under the title “Spielberg’s After Dark,” will air exclusively on Quibi, the upcoming streaming platform founded by media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. A countdown clock will manage when a user has access to the show – once the sun comes up, it’ll disappear until the next night.

Quibi, short for quick bites of content, is a mobile-focused storytelling platform that was announced in October 2018. The company’s first employee was former Hewlett Packard Enterprise and eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Together, they've raised $1 billion from investors with more money to come.

At the Banff World Media Festival in Canada over the weekend, Katzenberg said Spielberg came to him and said “I have a super scary story I want to do.” Spielberg is writing it himself which is something he hasn’t done in a while – in fact, he was last credited as a writer on the 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

Spielberg is also working on a project for Apple TV+, the Cupertino-based company’s upcoming storytelling service.

Quibi will have two pricing tiers when it launches on April 6, 2020 – a $4.99 per month option with short ads and a $7.99 ad-free variant.

Lead image credit: John Shearer via AP

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80467-steven-spielberg-writing-scary-series-you-can-only.html

 

[Lew Zealand]

Oh a marketing gimmick, how grand. Doesn't every single hour of the day occur after midnight?

 

[kombu]

I guess everyone forgot that only a couple of months ago Spielberg spoke out against Netflix (something about their movies not being Oscar worthy or what not). Seemed like the masses didn't agree, so now he's playing nice.

 

[psycros]

I guess everyone forgot that only a couple of months ago Spielberg spoke out against Netflix (something about their movies not being Oscar worthy or what not). Seemed like the masses didn't agree, so now he's playing nice.

I don't bother paying attention to the stupid crap he spews. Spielberg hasn't been relevant for almost 20 years.

 

[wiyosaya]

I guess everyone forgot that only a couple of months ago Spielberg spoke out against Netflix (something about their movies not being Oscar worthy or what not). Seemed like the masses didn't agree, so now he's playing nice.

It would be even "nicer" if he were working with Netflix, but he is not. I am not all that much of a fan of his, and I will not pay an extra fee to see his work on this new service.

I keep wondering what is going to happen to all these streaming services popping up like flies on I think those of us cord cutters who cut the cord were tired of paying insane prices for the amount of TV we watched. For me, it was $84/mo for about 5-channels I regularly watched. Now, we are expected to subscribe to a myriad of streaming services at a cost that could easily approach what we were paying? I, for one, am not falling for it. I could not, in any reality, possibly watch content from all these services, and to pay anything extra on a monthly basis for something I might watch would just be going back to that over-priced and not worth it option of $84/mo

I might subscribe to a service for a month if there was something that I could not get elsewhere; however, my local library has Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight seasons from CBS All Access that I can get for a next to nothing reserve fee of $0.50 - seems a much better deal from my library.

I have HD Netflix, ad-based Hulu, and OTA right now, and there is still so much on all three that I cannot possibly watch it all.

Personally, though I think that there will be some streaming services coming up that will be successful, I bet that there is an equal amount that will not. I, for one, am rather tired of this jump on the current fad mentality, and I won't participate. I have a life outside of video consumption.

 

[MaikuTech]

Oh a marketing gimmick, how grand. Doesn't every single hour of the day occur after midnight?

This is why digital recorders come into play, since I really don't care much for stevens movies, I ain't worried about trying to see it.

 

[Carlos GarPov]

Remember Disney's machinery is coming... and it will run over anyone that crosses its path. This is huge...

 

[Dimitrios]

I guess everyone forgot that only a couple of months ago Spielberg spoke out against Netflix (something about their movies not being Oscar worthy or what not). Seemed like the masses didn't agree, so now he's playing nice.

It would be even "nicer" if he were working with Netflix, but he is not. I am not all that much of a fan of his, and I will not pay an extra fee to see his work on this new service.

I keep wondering what is going to happen to all these streaming services popping up like flies on I think those of us cord cutters who cut the cord were tired of paying insane prices for the amount of TV we watched. For me, it was $84/mo for about 5-channels I regularly watched. Now, we are expected to subscribe to a myriad of streaming services at a cost that could easily approach what we were paying? I, for one, am not falling for it. I could not, in any reality, possibly watch content from all these services, and to pay anything extra on a monthly basis for something I might watch would just be going back to that over-priced and not worth it option of $84/mo

I might subscribe to a service for a month if there was something that I could not get elsewhere; however, my local library has Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight seasons from CBS All Access that I can get for a next to nothing reserve fee of $0.50 - seems a much better deal from my library.

I have HD Netflix, ad-based Hulu, and OTA right now, and there is still so much on all three that I cannot possibly watch it all.

Personally, though I think that there will be some streaming services coming up that will be successful, I bet that there is an equal amount that will not. I, for one, am rather tired of this jump on the current fad mentality, and I won't participate. I have a life outside of video consumption.

I hear you..................... I can't stand how fragment the video and gaming industry is getting. Everybody wants their $hit exclusive. I now use CINEMA app on FIRESTICK because of the prices going up like Netflix and other companies being exclusive, plus I can find whatever I want and it's free. I don't want 10 different video platforms to watch a movie or show and the same with gaming. CINEMA app and other ones I can grab what I wan't without a headache. I do have HULU for the great deal on BLACK FRIDAY for 99 cents a month for 12 months. I still have Amazon Video but will be dropping them due from greed.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Just change your device's timezone and then you can watch it "after midnight" at any time of the day. This literally works on every device.

 

[wiyosaya]

I hear you..................... I can't stand how fragment the video and gaming industry is getting. Everybody wants their $hit exclusive. I now use CINEMA app on FIRESTICK because of the prices going up like Netflix and other companies being exclusive, plus I can find whatever I want and it's free. I don't want 10 different video platforms to watch a movie or show and the same with gaming. CINEMA app and other ones I can grab what I wan't without a headache. I do have HULU for the great deal on BLACK FRIDAY for 99 cents a month for 12 months. I still have Amazon Video but will be dropping them due from greed.

Thanks for the tip about CINEMA app. It looks like it can run on Windohs 10 with an Android emulator. I'll have to check it out when I have some free time.

 

[Dimitrios]

Thanks for the tip about CINEMA app. It looks like it can run on Windohs 10 with an Android emulator. I'll have to check it out when I have some free time.

By far the best. I just watched that SCI FI movie called ( MOTHER ) . It's like that Will Smith movie ( I robot ) but but better. ( DEATH WISH ) is also a good movie.

CINEMA literally has every movie or TV show you can think of!

There was some video's banned on Amazon Video that I found on CINEMA app. Also all the shows of (THE DREW CAREY SHOW ) are on there as well.

 

[treetops]

Ah reminds me of the days when you had to watch scary\sexy movies\shows after 10pm. Of course it was to limit the likelihood kids would see it. But it did add to the atmosphere.

"What if you work the graveyard shift?"
Watch it on your day off? You know not every single tv show is streamed right?

I think it's a cool idea and even though I can easily work around it, I'll play along.

 

[PEnnn]

Gimmicky. If something is really scary, it will scare you any time of the day. Relying on night time to scare the viewer implies it's not scary to begin with.

Nice try, Spielberg.

 

[Emexrulsier]

Oh a marketing gimmick, how grand. Doesn't every single hour of the day occur after midnight?

I used to say that about mogwai's. They warn not to feed after midnight but how longs the cut off, 6am is after midnight as is every hour.

 

[Capaill]

Just change your device's timezone and then you can watch it "after midnight" at any time of the day. This literally works on every device.

And if it's locked by region, use a VPN.

 

[fluffydestroyer]

I guess everyone forgot that only a couple of months ago Spielberg spoke out against Netflix (something about their movies not being Oscar worthy or what not). Seemed like the masses didn't agree, so now he's playing nice.

we'll his film or series or whatever that crap will be named will be an exclusive to a mobile platform. He does it on a platform which I'm sure its for the money and profit only. I mean, we all know that mobile is very popular so in his own toughts and word his series shouldn't even be nominated if thats what he wants. What an hypocrite...

 

[fluffydestroyer]

Remember Disney's machinery is coming... and it will run over anyone that crosses its path. This is huge...

Well the movies they did aren't great so...maybe it'll crash big time which is what I hope for. But then again, those guys are so big they might end up buying exclusivity deals from everyone forcely just like Epic Games is "forcing" every or almost very major AAA title thats coming on that system. Hell even games that have pre-orders are switching to the new EPIC Games digital service platform.

So if disney throws money at every studio...they win