Warner Bros. implements their new strategy of making their upcoming Max shows HBO originals. The strategy now applies to the spin-offs of The Batman and Dune.
While the dramatic movements of projects at Warner Bros. seemed to have calmed down and despite some big decisions being made on gambles like Kevin Costner’s Horizon series, the studio is still working on some re-arrangement of their properties. It was reported earlier that upcoming series that were meant to be exclusive to the Max streaming app are now becoming HBO originals. Previously, all shows that were based on Warner Bros. IP fell under the Max umbrella, which felt like the most obvious way to separate the label from HBO. “We felt like we had to delineate between an HBO show and a Max show,” HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys said. “The idea of using Warner Bros. IP as a delineation for Max felt right. At least that gives you a clear lane. But as we started producing those shows, we were using the same methods, the same kind of thinking, as how we would approach HBO shows. In a lot of cases, the same talent that has worked on HBO shows.“
It was previously expected that shows that have spun off from The Batman and the Dune movies will similarly make the change. Deadline now reports that The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy will now shift from Max exclusives to becoming HBO original series that will also stream on Max. Last month, when the studio started to implement this strategy with their Harry Potter show, their IT prequel, Welcome to Derry, as well as other shows, they were undecided whether to emigrate the anticipated spin-offs of their hit films.
Set in the aftermath of the events of The Batman, The Penguin is an eight-episode limited series that’s coming our way from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The official synopsis simply tells us that the show continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga that began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman. The series was developed by writer/showrunner Lauren LeFranc. Colin Farrell plays the title character, a.k.a. Oz Cobb. He’s joined in the cast by Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).
Dune: Prophecy will be told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune.
The six-episode series is set 10,000 years prior to the events of Dune and follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.
The cast includes Emily Watson (Punch Drunk Love), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Tourist), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (The Colony), Faoileann Cunningham (The Northman), Aoife Hinds (Normal People), Chloe Lea (Foundation), Mark Strong (1917), Jade Anouka (His Dark Materials), Chris Mason (Broadchurch), and Travis Fimmel (Raised by Wolves).