HBO Max is present process some adjustments after its guardian firm merged with Discovery — and a few followers are apprehensive in regards to the destiny of their favourite reveals.
In April 2022, WarnerMedia (which owns HBO Max) merged with Discovery (which owns Discovery+), creating a brand new firm referred to as Warner Bros. Discovery. Observers instantly started to marvel if executives deliberate to mix the 2 streaming providers or supply a bundled bundle as Disney does with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.
One month earlier than the merger was finalized, Discovery’s chief monetary officer Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed that the corporate ultimately deliberate to mix HBO Max and Discovery+.
As adjustments began popping up on HBO Max in August 2022, nonetheless, subscribers began questioning what would possibly occur to Max Originals reveals and films as the 2 streaming providers started sharing content material. Max Originals — which embrace the Intercourse and the Metropolis spinoff And Simply Like That in addition to the Gossip Lady revival (which was canceled in January 2023), Hacks and Fairly Little Liars: Authentic Sin — seem solely on the streaming service and don’t air on HBO’s cable channel.
Rumors continued flying after Warner Bros. axed Batgirl, a function movie adaptation of the comedian set to star Leslie Grace. The film was greenlit in 2021 and was initially meant to premiere completely on HBO Max, however in August 2022, the studio introduced that it was shelving the film indefinitely, that means it received’t premiere on streaming or in theaters. (Batgirl had already completed principal pictures and was in the midst of post-production.)
On the identical time, Warner Bros. canceled Scoob!: Vacation Hang-out, a sequel to the 2020 animated movie Scoob! Like Batgirl, Vacation Hang-out was already completed and reportedly price Warner Bros. $40 million to make.
HBO Max additionally quietly eliminated a number of unique films from the streaming service, together with Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse‘s Moonshot and the 2020 remake of The Witches starring Anne Hathaway. Some observers characterised the transfer as uncommon, as HBO Max has beforehand been publicly asserting which films and collection shall be leaving the streaming service every month.
In response to IndieWire, these titles are “a part of a protracted record of movies and collection” being pulled off HBO Max and Discovery+ as the 2 providers gear up for his or her merger. “The content material being focused for elimination tends to be reveals and films that aren’t acting on the service however have a possibility for a partial write off,” the outlet reported.
The providers lastly merged in Might 2023 underneath the title Max.
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