Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson come up with a plan to start a bank in 1950s America in the trailer for AppleTV+'s The Banker. With Apple's streaming service now officially up and running, the company is wasting little time churning out additional original content to entice new customers to sign on. They've currently got A-lister anchored series like The Morning Show and See going, but are planning to start releasing movies as soon as December, beginning with The Banker.

Apple's true story-based film reunites Mackie with his The Adjustment Bureau director George Nolfi, drawing from a script he co-wrote with Niceole Levy (Cloak & Dagger) and relative newcomers David Lewis Smith and Stan Younger (who share story credit with Black Sails veteran Brad Caleb Kane). Jackson and Mackie are joined in The Banker cast by a crew that includes Nicholas Hoult (The Current War), Nia Long (NCIS: Los Angeles), Michael Harney (Orange is the New Black), Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels), Paul Ben-Victor (The Wire), and Jessie Usher (Survivor's Remorse), among others.

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The caliber of the talent involved with The Banker is a testament to just how serious Apple is about going toe to toe with Netflix and Amazon Prime, when it comes to their original movies. They've even set the film to make its world premiere at the AFI Fest later this month, ahead of its limited theatrical run in early December (which will allow it to qualify for consideration at next year's Oscars ceremony) and streaming debut in late January. You can check out trailer below, followed by the official synopsis for The Banker.

Based on a true story, “The Banker” centers on revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise an audacious and risky plan to take on the racially oppressive establishment of the 1960s by helping other African Americans pursue the American dream. Along with Garrett’s wife Eunice (Nia Long), they train a working class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to pose as the rich and privileged face of their burgeoning real estate and banking empire – while Garrett and Morris pose as a janitor and a chauffeur. Their success ultimately draws the attention of the federal government, which threatens everything the four have built.

Plot-wise, The Banker sounds interesting, even if the trailer suggests the film is a fairly by the book inspirational docudrama in motion. It's also nice to see Jackson and Mackie operating outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe once again, and the one-on-one exchanges between the actors here are a welcome reminder of just how engaging they can be while doing little more than sitting at a desk and talking.

Mackie only just started production on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Disney+ this past week (reprising his MCU role as Sam Wilson) and is set to star in Altered Carbon season two for Netflix. Between those roles and his turn in The Banker, he's certainly got a good foothold in the streaming marketplace at the moment.

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The Banker begins playing in select U.S. theaters on Friday, December 6, ahead of its digital streaming launch on AppleTV+ next year on Friday, January 31, 2020.

Source: Apple TV

Key Release Dates

  • The Banker Movie Poster
    The Banker
    Release Date:
    2019-12-06