Apple is making Carpool Karaoke without James Corden as host

Apple has today paid an undisclosed price for the rights to Carpool Karaoke, a popular segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden.

From 9to5Mac:

CBS Television Studios and Fulwell 73 will take the reigns in expanding the show. Fulwell 73 is the production company run by Late Late Show executive producer Ben Winston. In conjunction with Apple, 16 episodes will be produced and streamed weekly on Apple Music.

The weird part of the deal, though, is the fact that Corden might not actually be hosting the new Apple Music series:

It’s unclear who the host will be at this point, though it is not expected to be Corden. Previously CBS had ordered a primetime special Carpool Karaoke segment, likely hinting at its plans to spin the show off into its own series.

Will people still watch a series featuring celebrities singing karaoke in a car? Probably. But Corden still gives it a geeky, funny feel that might not work without him.