Just three days before its scheduled debut, the new Apple TV+ series The Savant starring Jessica Chastain was postponed, with no new premiere date set.
“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone ‘The Savant,’” Apple TV+ told Parade in a statement. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”
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The following day, Chastain shared a statement of her own, revealing that she was not “aligned” with Apple’s decision.
“I want to say how much I value my partnership with Apple. They’ve been incredible collaborators and I deeply respect their team. That said, I wanted to reach out and let you know that we’re not aligned on the decision to pause the release of The Savant,” she wrote on Instagram.
“In the last five years since we’ve been making the show, we’ve seen an unfortunate amount of violence in the United States: the kidnapping attempt on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; the January 6th attack on the Capitol; the assassination attempts on President Trump; the political assassinations of Democratic representatives in Minnesota; the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband; the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk; the recent shooting at an ABC affiliate station in California; and over 300 school shootings across this country. 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. 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.”
She concluded, “While I respect Apple’s decision to pause the release for now, I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon. Until then, I’m wishing safety and strength for everyone, and I’ll let you know if and when The Savant is released.”
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News of The Savant‘s postponement came nearly two weeks after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. After being asked on Meet the Press how Kirk’s assassin was radicalized, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said that friends had confirmed there was “that deep, dark, internet, the Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep.”
The Savant, an eight-episode limited series inspired by a true story featured in Cosmopolitan in 2019, explores “the alarming rise of online radicalization through the eyes of an undercover profiler whose mission to protect the public ultimately puts her own family at risk.”
Chastain, who was also an executive producer, plays Jodi Goodwin, a mom who works for the Anti-Hate Alliance, infiltrating chat rooms to stop domestic extremists before they act. While the world of online hate and extremism is “not great,” the Academy Award-winning actress told Parade on Sept. 5 that the show itself affected her “humanity in a positive way.”
“When I first read the article in Cosmo about the woman that this is inspired by, I was really blown away by the sacrifices and the incredible things that people do behind the scenes to keep us safe,” the Oscar winner said.
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She added, “We open the news and we read about something and it’s too late by the time we read about it. But what are the possible shootings or acts of violence that we didn’t hear about that they stopped? And that actually made me more excited about humanity, that there are these people that are keeping you safe, even when you’re not realizing they’re doing it.”
The belief that “people are inherently good” is what keeps Chastain optimistic. “Hate makes the loudest noise, but I think love and kindness shift the needle, and it creates the biggest advancements and evolutions,” she said. “So I feel that we are inherently a positive force and are made for good rather than for hate.”
Chastain, who has two kids of her own, hopes The Savant will inspire individuals to monitor what their children are looking at online. “I find it to be just insane what has happened, especially with social media,” she said. “I joined Twitter to look at cute puppy videos originally and like animal videos, and now all of a sudden I’m seeing things that should not be on my algorithm and I don’t know why they are.”
“And so to really monitor that for kids because they don’t have the language, they don’t have the maturity for some of the things that are out there, and so you really have to be present,” Chastain continued. “I really also hope it creates a conversation about what guardrails and legislation we can put to protect our children.”