Warner Bros. Discovery is putting some of the “premium” back into its premium cable outlet, . In a branding strategy shift, several tentpole series that had been announced as original shows for streamer — including the in-development and prequel — will become HBO originals instead.
The just-ordered , based on DC Comics’ Green Lantern, was also first developed for Max but will now originate on HBO. Those series will of course still stream on Max, as all HBO shows do. But the decision to bring the high-visibility, high-budget shows under the HBO umbrella represents a change in approach to how the two outlets, both headed by , differentiate their programming.
When Bloys took charge of what was then HBO Max in 2020, the streamer was to be the home of all series based on pre-existing IP from Warner Bros. (in addition to shows like and the sequel ). As recently as January, that “Sarah Aubrey [head of original programming at Max] and her team are trying to focus more on using the Warner Bros.
IP to do big tentpole shows.” Now, those big-budget shows will carry the same HBO originals banner as and . The change in branding will happen next year, meaning 2024 Max releases like and will still be Max originals.
(Further blurring the lines, shows from both outlets are grouped together as “HBO/Max” series for awards consideration.) As for Max, its slate of originals includes comedies and , DC series and forthcoming dramas and . THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straigh.