AppleTV+ Acquires Redemption Drama ‘Palmer’ Starring Justin Timberlake

Apple is spending the big bucks to attract as much high-profile talent and movies to their fledgling streaming network. Just last week we saw the release of the naval warfare drama Greyound, and recently AppleTV+ has added Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, the acclaimed doc Boys State, Snow Blind with Jake Gyllenhaal, and the Will Smith/Antonie Fuqua slavery drama Emancipation.

And now, Apple has acquired Palmer, a redemption story starring Justin Timberlake and directed by actor/filmmaker Fisher Stevens. The film stars Timberlake as a former college football star who, after a stint in prison, returns to his hometown to turn his life around. The script was written by Cheryl Guerriero, with Stevens directing his first feature since 2012’s Stand Up Guys. The cast includes Juno Temple, June Squibb, Alisha Wainright, and newcomer Ryder Allen.

This is a return to acting for Timberlake, who had a pretty solid run of leading man roles before mostly abandoning it after 2013’s Runner Runner. Stevens is probably best known for his acting roles, including both Short Circuit movies, but he’s also an Oscar-winning filmmaker having won for the documentary The Cove.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.