Warner Bros. Discovery is sticking with safe-bet franchises that could appeal to viewers, including the “Harry Potter” franchise and the “Game of Thrones” prequel on its rebranded Max streaming service.
In presentations to reporters and investors on Wednesday, executives touted the Max and made announcements about original Warner Bros. Discovery programming. The $16-a-month service launches in the US on May 23 and automatically replaces the company’s existing HBO Max.
The “Harry Potter” series has been described as a “faithful retelling” of JK Rowling’s books about boy wizards, complete with a new cast.
Each season is designed to focus on one of the seven books, though Max is expected to stretch the series over a decade.
Max also announced that it also ordered a Game of Thrones prequel titled Knights of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, set in Westeros 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Based on the fantasy novella by George RR Martin, it tells the adventures of a knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (known as Dunk) and Aegon V Targaryen (known as Egg). Martin will serve as executive producer and writer for the series alongside Ira Parker.
House of the Dragon, which is also a prequel to Game of Thrones, has begun production on a second season for HBO.
Other announcements include a series based on the Penguin character from “Batman,” which is currently in production and will reprise his role with Colin Farrell, and another starring Chuck Lowry. (Chuck Lorrie) directed comedies set on The Big Bang Theory, both for Max.
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