J.J. Abrams Reportedly Turned Down Apple's $500 Million Deal For Surprising Reason

Not all of us can say that we turned down $500 million. However, that's exactly what filmmaker J.J. Abrams did when he decided to walk away from an offer made by Apple during the epic bidding war for his production company Bad Robot. Amazingly, the reason why Abrams chose a more modest deal is pretty simple.

In a report by The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that Apple was offering the hefty sum for exclusivity. This would mean that Abrams will have to produce content solely for Apple. Unfortunately, the deal would restrict Abrams from working on outside projects like (maybe) another Star Wars film or shopping new shows to other networks.

It's a simple reason and there's a possibility that WarnerMedia is giving Abrams more freedom in exchange for a smaller sum. At least we can still look forward to more Bad Robot productions being offered by other studios and networks.

Abrams expressed his excitement over the new deal he signed with WarnerMedia in a statement.

"It is a thrill for Katie, Brian (Weinstein), and me and the rest of our team at Bad Robot to call WarnerMedia our company's new home," Abrams shared in a statement earlier Friday. "John Stankey has a powerful vision for the future of WarnerMedia and is committed to storytelling that connects people around the world. We are excited and gratified to be a part of this new chapter under his and Ann Sarnoff's thoughtful leadership. I could go on for hours, and probably will, about the extraordinary Peter Roth and the entire Warner's television group, with whom we've worked for over a decade, and I've wanted to collaborate with Toby Emmerich and his team for as long as I can remember. I am grateful for the chance to write, produce and direct work for this incredible company, and to help create films and series with a diverse and vast collection of inspiring storytellers. We can't wait to get started."

We feel the same way, J.J. In the meantime, Abrams' next project Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20.

Related: J.J. Abrams Signs Exclusive Multi-Year Deal With WarnerMedia