In a sign that the burgeoning streaming platform is going big on animated series like Harley Quinn, HBO Max has announced three new adult comedy projects from some major talents. The series include a revival of Clone High from creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a Velma/Scooby-Doo origin story from Mindy Kaling, and Fired on Mars from Pete Davidson. The announcement also confirmed that the adult animated series Close Enough has been renewed for two more seasons. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“It is a tremendous privilege to build on the 100-year plus legacy of ‘cartoons’ at this company,” HBO Max exec vp comedy and adult animation Suzanna Makkos said in a statement announcing the slate Wednesday. “We can draw a straight line from our hundreds of childhood hours spent watching Bugs outwit Elmer to the current slate of adult animated projects we are building here at HBO Max and we think fans will agree. We are proud to introduce this distinctive group of series from a wide range of diverse creators that will form a first stop destination for animation lovers everywhere.”
The adult-oriented Velma will be voiced and executive produced by Kaling and focus on the amateur sleuth’s origin. And to answer the question on Twitter’s mind, HBO has not yet confirmed whether the series will address Velma’s sexuality. As for Fired on Mars, Davidson will executive produce and voice a character in the “workplace comedy” that’s based on a 2016 animated short by Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey. According to THR, this latest investment in adult animation stems from HBO Max’s success with drawing in viewers with the Cartoon Network series Rick and Morty, and its $500 million purchase of the exclusive streaming rights for South Park. Turns out people like cartoons, which they should, because they’re awesome.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)