Jason Bateman exits Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans-led film Artemis after creative differences

Jason Bateman has exited Artemis, the Apple TV+ film starring Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans that he was set to direct. The Ozark star and production company These Pictures amicably parted ways on Artemis due to creative differences, Deadline reports.

Per the outlet, Bateman and These Pictures have tentative plans to collaborate on a different project in the future—that is, if their respective visions align again.

Few details have been released about Artemis’ plot, although it supposedly follows a space race. Former MCU co-stars Johansson and Evans will reunite onscreen (non-MCU heads may also remember their onscreen chemistry back in the 2007 romantic comedy The Nanny Diaries).

Bateman had initially also signed on to executive produce Artemis under the banner of his Aggregate Films production company. Johansson, alongside Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn, is still producing by way of These Pictures. Rose Gilroy, the daughter of writer-director Dan Gilroy and actress René Russo, will write the script.

Artemis marks a pivotal moment for Apple TV+, which acquired the rights to the film in a deal reportedly worth $100M. The coveted feature-film package is just one of Apple’s recent big-ticket purchases. The streamer reportedly paid upwards of $200M to acquire rights to Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and an untitled Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt.

Apple has been hard at work on bumping up its prestige cinema, and the efforts have been paying off. Its critically acclaimed film CODA won Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, making it the first film distributed by a streamer to do so. Apple could see even more awards buzz with the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jesse Plemons.

Artemis has yet to receive an official release date.