Similarly, the network teased a surprising Harry Potter undertaking: a TV adaptation of the original books with an entirely new cast, with each book being spread across one season. It will be produced with JK Rowling involved, an interesting (but maybe unavoidable?) choice given her now yearslong bad public favor for her controversial opinions on the transgender community.
And finally, the comic book contingent got tossed a bone, too, with an early pseudo-teaser for The Batman spin-off series Penguin, which will follow Colin Farrell (back underneath his mountain of make-up) as the titular villain, trying to assert himself in the Gotham underworld. Judging from this early clip, it’ll be more of a straightforward crime series that doubles down even further on the gritty tone Matt Reeves’ film established.
The flood of news came as the cherry on top for an otherwise bemusing rebrand from Warner Bros Discovery, long-predicted development of the WB-Discovery merger: come May 23 the service will officially drop the “HBO” and simply be, Max.
As for how this will all work, deep breath: existing HBO Max subscribers will automatically see their apps become Max, while people who have Discovery+ will need to sign up as “new Max customers,” albeit with free trial and promo offers. The new service offers three subscription tiers, ranging from “Max Ad-LiIte” ($9.99 a month or $99.99 a year) to “Max Ultimate Ad-Free” ($19.99 a month or $199.999 a year). The third “ultimate” ad-free version boasts 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads and Dolby Atmos sound for $19.99 a month ($199.99/year). Beyond the inclusion of ads—a first for HBO—the different tiers vary in terms of concurrent streams, downloads per month, and audio quality.
WBD has been bullish about really throwing its weight around in the crowded streaming arena, and with a new slate that will really flex the strength and depth of their IP and catalog, this might actually be a promising step in that direction.
Grant Rindner
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