Confirming reports that a new streaming service was on the way, Warner Bros. Discovery has officially announced that HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge into a new super app known simply as Max. As for the reasoning behind the name change, considering HBO has strong brand recognition and a sterling reputation for delivering the best prestige series on the market, here’s what WB Discovery streaming chief JB Perette said during the announcement.
Via Variety:
“HBO is not TV. HBO is HBO, it needs to stay that way, which is why we will privilege it in the product experience and also not push it to the breaking point by forcing it to take on the full breadth of this content proposition, had we kept the brand in the service name.”
Everyone got all that? HBO needs to stay HBO, but also here’s a plethora of HBO projects that were announced today for Max, the streaming service soon to be formerly known as HBO Max. (Our heads hurt, too.)
– A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Technically, this Game of Thrones prequel series will air on HBO, but to make things as confusing as possible, it was announced in the middle of the Max presentation.
– Harry Potter. Confirming reports that WBD was keen to get J.K. Rowling’s books into a streaming show, this long-rumored project has been officially ordered to series for Max. Featuring an all-new cast, each season will focus on one book, which means it will run for at least seven seasons or eight if the final book is split into two parts like the films.
– The Sympathizer. A new comedy spy series starring Robert Downey Jr.
– The Conjuring. This series based on the horror film series is reportedly being developed by HBO Max for Max? Again, your guess is good as ours here.
– The Big Bang Theory spinoff. Thanks the success of Young Sheldon, a new spinoff from the hit sitcom is headed to Max.
– The Penguin. Based on Colin Farrell’s character from The Batman, this show was already announced and in production, but now it’s headed for Max.
Max is scheduled to launch on May 23.
(Via Variety)