Warner Bros. Discovery is making a delicate pivot to its unique programming, as CEO of HBO and Max Content May Bloys has revealed that the upcoming Harry Potter TV present and the It prequel sequence Welcome to Derry are being rebranded as HBO Original sequence as a substitute of Max.
In a brand new interview with Variety, Bloys defined that the Harry Potter TV sequence, which is slated to premiere someday in 2026, along with Welcome to Derry, and the just-greenlit Green Lantern TV present titled Lanterns will all be transferring from the Max to the HBO Originals umbrella.
It marks fairly the shift from the earlier messaging, with the Harry Potter sequence and Welcome to Derry each particularly branded as content material developed for the streaming platform. Bloys elaborated on the choice within the interview with Variety, saying they discovered extra similarities between HBO and Max content material as they developed it.
“We felt like we needed to delineate between an HBO present and a Max present,” Bloys stated. “The thought of utilizing Warner Bros. IP as a delineation for Max felt proper. At least that provides you a transparent lane. But as we began producing these exhibits, we used the identical strategies and the identical form of pondering as how we might method HBO exhibits. In lots of instances, the identical expertise that has labored on HBO exhibits.”
The Harry Potter TV sequence has been within the works since 2021. Though Warner Bros. Discovery has saved a decent lip on particulars, together with what the sequence will concentrate on, stories declare the sequence will probably be a extra devoted adaptation of the novels authored by J.Ok. Rowling. In June 2023, actor Daniel Radcliffe, who performed the titular character within the movies from 2001 till 2011, defined in an interview with Deadline that he was unlikely to make a cameo within the present.
Meanwhile, the sequence Welcome to Derry will function a prequel to the latest It movies directed by Andy Muschietti. Though it was beforehand reported that actor Bill Skarsgård wouldn’t reprise his function as Pennywise the Clown, final May, it was confirmed that the actor would return to painting the character in any case. Welcome to Derry is at the moment slated to premiere someday subsequent 12 months.
While the Harry Potter TV present Welcome to Derry and Laterns will skip the Max originals branding, some upcoming Max unique exhibits which are nonetheless beneath the banner embrace The Batman spinoff sequence The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy, each of that are slated to hit the WB-owned streaming service later this 12 months. However, within the case of the previous, Bloys advised that the sequence would have obtained the unique HBO branding if the timing had been higher.
“We will begin in 2025, though The Penguin could be an apparent match as an HBO Original,” Bloys defined. “Unfortunately, the method of licensing it internationally has already began.”
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can observe her on Twitter @TayNixster.
