Screenshot: Warner Bros./HBO Max
The Warner Bros. and Discovery merger shake up continues, with increasing speculation over the fate of HBO Max and its original content. While DC Universe’s Batman spin-off The Penguin and Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker seem to be safe (for now, at least, per James Gunn’s “calm down” tweet and Colin Farrell’s recent Penguin enthusiasm), we can’t help but be a bit concerned about some of our other favorites—not to mention some in-development projects in the various genre franchises under the Warner Bros. shield. Will they make the cut?
In today’s earnings call, the president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, re-affirmed his stance on “embracing theatrical.” The surprising cancellation of the nearly-completed Batgirl movie looks to be casualty of what he called “ aggressive steps to course-correct the previous strategy,” and during a Q&A portion he gave a bit more insight as to why Batgirl and other direct-to-consumer (DTC) films didn’t make the cut. “We have a team in place who’s going to build a 10-year plan for DC. Expensive DTC movies are no comparison to when you launch a film in theaters. We have done a reset. The objective is to grow the DC brand and characters and to protect them.” Zaslav likened the studio’s strategy of tackling the DC franchises to how Alan Horn, Bob Iger, and Kevin Feige built the Marvel Cinematic Universe—in regards to planning, at least, but not necessarily taking the same approach with storytelling.
Here are some titles we may not know the fate of until the end of the year and into 2023 when HBO Max and Discovery+ merge into one service. What we wanna know is: if worst comes to worst, which one would you want to save? This list is by no means every genre series or movie HBO Max was either rumored or confirmed to have in the works—though frankly it’s not looking good for that Supergirl film—so if there’s one not listed that you were dying to see, let us know that too.
Our Flag Means Death
Harley Quinn
Green Lantern series
Amanda Waller-centric Suicide Squad spin-off
Doom Patrol
Titans
Looney Tunes Cartoons
Tiny Toons Looniversity
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
Dune: The Sisterhood
Jellystone!
Young Justice
Tooned Out
Clone High
Velma
You Brought Me the Ocean
Batman: Caped Crusader
My Adventures with Superman
Merry Little Batman
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Film
Bye, Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical
The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie!
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Source by gizmodo.com
