Two years after it launched in May 2020, HBO Max experienced a meteoric rise thanks to the pandemic and AT&T’s strategy of making the platform a success by dumping a whole bunch of money into it. There was also the highly controversial decision to release Warner Bros. entire 2021 film slate on HBO Max on the same day as theaters. While that cost the studio its longtime working relationship with director Christopher Nolan, the streaming platform grew in prominence thanks to its deep bench of Warner Bros. content.
And then the merger happened.
Following the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery in the Summer of 2022, the newly formed media conglomerate quickly got to work reassessing the streaming strategy for HBO Max and the new executive team did not like what it saw. After pulling the plug on Batgirl for a tax break, WB Discovery started sacrificing titles left and right as people freaked out about their favorite shows. While some popular series like Harley Quinn were safe, others were not.
Here is the list of shows that HBO Max canceled in 2022, and as you can see, it’s a lot:
Raised by Wolves
Made for Love
Time Traveler’s Wife
Close Enough
Gordita Chronicles
Little Ellen
Strange Adventures
Batman: Caped Crusader
Demimonde
Legendary
FBOY Island
Sweet Life: Los Angeles
WB Discovery also axed several films heading for the platform, including Batgirl, which did not sit well with Brendan Fraser, who already filmed his role as the Batman villain Firefly. You can see the list of canceled HBO Max movies below:
Batgirl
Scoob!: Holiday Haunt
Wonder Twins
Merry Little Batman
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical
Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story
The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie
Following Batgirl‘s cancelation, Fraser did not mince words that he was disappointed with WB Discovery and will only work with “trusted filmmakers” instead of streaming platforms from here on out.
(Via Hidden Remote)