Tag: hbo max

DC Films Eyes Lego Franchise Producer Dan Lin as New Head, in the Vein of MCU’s Kevin Feige: Report

DC Films might have found its Kevin Feige in Dan Lin. The executive-turned producer is reportedly in contention to overlook all upcoming movies and TV series for the superhero arm. The decision comes in the wake of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav laying out a 10-year plan for the DC brand — kickstarting a “reset” under a new team, focused on quality over quantity. The move will see current DC Films President Walter Hamada stepping down, paving the way for Lin to take over.

New candidate Lin, known for producing the Academy Award-winning The Lego Movie, is one of the strong contenders to take on the role. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the proposed system will skip three division heads — Warner Bros. Pictures’ heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, HBO/ HBO Max chief Casey Bloys, and Warner Bros. TV chair Channing Dungey — putting control in the hands of one person.

Lin also shepherded 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie, noting in a podcast earlier this month, that in 2008, he almost got the job of “overseeing the entire DC franchise.” At the time, he was working on a now-cancelled Justice League film with Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road).

Reports claim that Hamada, the current head of DC Films, would transition out of the role. THR’s sources claim that the involved parties are discussing salary and the future of Lin’s production company Rideback. That said, the current DC chief will oversee the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam’s cinematic release on October 21. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Hamada was not consulted on the shocking cancellation of the live-action Batgirl movie, starring Leslie Grace in the lead.

Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that cancelling Wonder Twins, Batgirl, and Scoob! Holiday Haunt was a difficult part of this strategy, but it did not fit their vision to maximise financial returns. Other reports indicated that Batgirl underwent test screenings, with audiences calling it “irredeemable.” The movie, which was originally planned for an HBO Max release will not see the light of day, in cinemas or on the streaming platform.

CEO Zaslav stated earlier this month, that he was looking for a Kevin Feige-like figure to guide the DC Films brand over the next 10 years. Similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where all character stories are interwoven with each other, and eventually build up to a dramatic climax. At Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings call webcast, he also confirmed that Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, alongside the problematic Ezra Miller-led The Flash, have been marked safe for release. However, the David F. Sandberg-directed Shazam! sequel has been delayed to a March 17 release date.

Even James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom got pushed to December 25, 2023, as it needs more time in post-production. Meanwhile, Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux is in the early stages of production, while Matt Reeves has begun co-writing The Batman sequel with Mattson Tomlin. Both are deemed quality products by the WBD offices.

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‘Sesame Street’ had 200 episodes removed by HBO Max

HBO Max is axing about 200 episodes of “Sesame Street” from its streaming platform. but the reason for the purge is unclear.

Warner Bros. Discovery recently acquired HBO Max. On Friday, the streaming service listed 456 “Sesame Street” episodes available compared to about 650 that were available previously. HBO Max has not had access to all the show’s episodes at the same time.

HBO Max only showcases episodes from seasons 1, 5 and 7, as well as the recent seasons 39-52.

An HBO Max spokesperson shared a statement with Fox News Digital on Saturday regarding to cut back on “Sesame Street.”

“‘Sesame Street’ is and has always been an important part of television culture and a crown jewel of our preschool offering,” the statement began. 

Venus Williams on Sesame Street in 2004.
WireImage for Sesame Workshop

“We are committed to continuing to bring ‘Sesame Street’into families’ homes, including the newest season premiering this fall and the nearly 400 episodes of the most current and historic seasons that remain on Cartoonito on HBO Max.”

The upcoming 53rd season will be available on the streaming service, the outlet reported.

HBO and “Sesame Street” joined forces in 2015, which gave the streaming service priority to air all new episodes first, before it can be seen on the show’s longtime home, PBS. This agreement is effective until

The “Sesame Street” cut comes after HBO made an announcement on Wednesday saying that at least 36 additional shows will be leaving the platform this week. 

That includes 20 HBO original shows, as well as “Generation,” “Infinity Train,” and earlier this month, all eight of the “Harry Potter” films were axed.

Warner Bros. Discovery shared the removal of the shows comes with the new pending contract with Discovery+. 

It’s still unclear why HBO Max is removing the epsidoes.
Getty Images

“As we work toward bringing our content catalogs together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and Discovery+,” the company said in a statement. “That will include the removal of some content from both platforms.”

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House of the Dragon Episode 1 Leaked on Torrent Sites, Piracy Networks Ahead of Release

House of the Dragon episode 1 has leaked onto torrent sites and other networks that enable piracy, in differing versions of quality and file size (from 262MB to 2.29GB). While most copies of the Game of Thrones prequel series are arguably genuine, given the attached screenshots and user comments attesting to their legitimacy, some are fraudulent and merely exist as a trap to load viruses and malware onto the computers of unsuspecting individuals. And because House of the Dragon is being released directly online — available on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar — the genuine pirated copies have good video and audio quality. Gadgets 360 does not condone illegal file-sharing. It is against the law and filmmakers deserve to be paid for the content they create.

House of the Dragon Review: Game of Thrones Is Back — and It’s Great

The first legitimate leaked version of House of the Dragon episode 1 showed up on torrent sites around 8:20am IST on Sunday, August 21 — almost 24 hours prior to release — in full-HD 1080p resolution and surround sound audio. (House of the Dragon premieres Sunday at 9pm ET on HBO Max wherever available, and 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar in India.) High-definition piracy is a permanent issue for TV shows, as they are more easily recorded than movies on the big screen. Also, Game of Thrones is no stranger to leaks. For what it’s worth, House of the Dragon will also be available in 4K HDR — at least on HBO Max — but there’s no leaked 4K version at the time of writing.

Created by Ryan Condal (Colony) and George R.R. Martin — the latter is the author behind A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of books that were adapted into the eight-season-long Game of Thrones — House of the Dragon is set about 200 years prior to its parent series. It chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, which culminated in the famed Targaryen war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons. Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will deploy multiple time jumps across its 10-episode first season, with actors also swapping out roles over the course of the season. The Thrones spin-off could take on an anthology format from season 2.

In House of the Dragon, Paddy Considine stars as the Seven Kingdoms’ fifth ruler King Viserys I Targaryen, Matt Smith as Viserys’ younger brother and heir presumptive Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock as Viserys’ firstborn child Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra’s best friend Lady Alicent Hightower, Steve Toussaint as famous seafarer Lord Corlys “Sea Snake” Velaryon, Eve Best as Corlys’ wife and The Queen Who Never Was, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as skilled swordsman Ser Criston Cole, Sonoya Mizuno as Daemon’s trusted ally Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Alicent’s father and the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower.

House of the Dragon episode 1 is out August 22 at 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar. New episodes air every Monday at 6:30am until October 24.

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Westworld Season 4 Trailer: Evan Rachel Wood Somehow Returns on HBO Sci-Fi Series

Westworld season 4 trailer is out. On Thursday, HBO unveiled a two-minute 33-second new trailer for the fourth instalment of the sci-fi dystopian series Westworld to give fans a glimpse of what is in store for them this time around. The Westworld season 4 trailer introduces us to a new character named Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) who talks about the “story of a girl”. Things soon take a dark turn, as the focus shifts to the need to “question your own reality” and the theme of revenge. The Westworld season 4 trailer ends with a series of unnerving graphic visuals, without revealing much about the story.

Besides Wood, the Westworld season 4 cast includes Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, James Marsden, Ed Harris, Luke Hemsworth, Ariana DeBos, and Aaron Paul. While some return to reprise their characters, we will get clarity on other characters only once the new season has begun, as Westworld guards plot details so closely that what we learn upon premiere often assumes a completely different meaning altogether by the time the season concludes.

Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, Westworld is based on Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton’s 1973 feature film of the same name. It debuted on HBO in 2014 with its first episode receiving record viewership. It went on to deliver the most-watched first season of any HBO series. The second instalment too found wide patronage. The third season however, didn’t live up to expectations when it was released amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Can Westworld season 4 return to its glory days?

Nolan and Joy serve as executive producers alongside J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, and Bryan Burk. Westworld season 4 is production of HBO Entertainment, Kilter Films, Bad Robot Productions, and Warner Bros. Television

Westworld season 4 premieres June 26 on HBO and HBO Max wherever available, and June 27 in India on Disney+ Hotstar. New episodes drop on a weekly basis.

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Hurrah for new HBO boss for uncanceling J.K. Rowling

Expelliarmus! And faster than you can say Severus Snape, the dork magic that is wokeness has been neutralized. J.K. Rowling is being let out of her PC jail cell by the new chief of Warner Bros. Discovery.

You may have noticed that when it came time to engineer a Harry Potter 20th-anniversary reunion on New Year’s Day for HBO Max, the company seemed to treat Rowling like a muggle. She appeared only in archival footage. That was strange, but then again, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and “Fantastic Beasts” star Katherine Waterston have all taken disgraceful/ungrateful little pokes at Rowling. HBO Max seemed uncertain whether she deserved a lot of attention at a Harry Potter celebration. It’s not like she was important to that franchise or anything.

But this spring a new headmaster, David Zaslav, came in to run Warner Bros., which made the Harry Potter films. Zaslav has already made two big, and hilarious moves: Canceling CNN+, and uncanceling Rowling. Zaslav is meeting with Rowling to discuss new Harry Potter projects, reports the Wall Street Journal.

That’s news because as the Fantastic Beasts series dwindles into oblivion, the industry trades have been a little quiet about new Rowling projects lately. (Lately she popped up in the news when Vladimir Putin complained that the West was canceling Russia just like it canceled Rowling. Rowling fired back that she didn’t invade Ukraine).

Presumably, we’ll be getting some new Rowling/Potter content. Hurrah! The Prisoner of Wokezkaban is free.

Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe took jabs at Rowling during the franchise’s 2021 reunion.
Twitter/HBO Max

Rowling, known for holding such extremist views as “women are a different thing from men,” was subjected to online harassment from Twitter mobs who insisted that her reputation be cast into the hellfire flames of Mordor. [I think you’re getting mixed up with a different franchise —Ed.] Although most of Rowling’s antagonists appeared to be either spotty 14-year-olds or adjunct professors of gender studies, AT&T proved that a $100 billion-dollar corporation can cave quicker than the French army in 1940 and cast the Cloak of Invisibility over Rowling.

Zaslav, who according to the Journal is such a workaholic that he starts work at 6 a.m. and is pushing for the Starbucks on the Warners lot to stay open 24 hours, has been flicking his lightsaber in every direction to cut costs [Do you even watch these movies? — Ed] and reduce headcount at the newly-rechristened company. He even dared to ask execs why Warners made the terrible Clint Eastwood movie “Cry Macho” last year. (Answer: Eastwood’s previously made non-terrible movies, so we owe him this.) So his apparent willingness to make big bets on Rowling indicates he thinks she’s vital to the company’s future growth prospects, Twitter be damned.

Zaslav wants to stream Harry Potter flicks on HBO Max, which produced the franchise’s reunion last year without including Rowling.
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Zaslav has also signaled he wants CNN to sound more like a news network and less like an all-night meeting of the Bard College Young Hysterians Club. “I think people in America are looking for a place where people aren’t yelling and giving opinions,” Zaslav told CNBC this week, “and they’re looking for more news and so that’s what you’ll see from CNN.”

Along with the moves by Ron DeSantis, who refused to be bullied by Woke Disney; Elon Musk, who has vowed to unshackle speech on Twitter (if he ever actually buys it); and Netflix, which last week informed its squeaky-toy coterie of aggrieved activists that Dave Chappelle is more important than they are and “Netflix may not be the best place for you,” the rise of Zaslav suggests that the Great Unwokening may already have begun.

The way things are going, it may soon be safe to state true things again.

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Westworld Season 4 Trailer Out, Release Date Set for June 27 on Disney+ Hotstar

Westworld season 4 trailer and release date are out. HBO has unveiled a two-minute 17-second teaser trailer which gives fans a brief look at what to expect from the dystopian thriller this time around, while confirming the Westworld season 4 release date as June 26. Those in India will naturally be able to watch the show on Disney+ Hotstar from June 27. The Westworld season 4 trailer is set to Lou Reed’s song “Perfect Day”. The soft notes are soothing to the ear, while the visuals are quite gut-wrenching. The video re-introduces us to the Westworld season 4 cast, which includes the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Ed Harris, Luke Hemsworth, and Aaron Paul. It, however as expected, doesn’t reveal much about the plot

While I am sure that fans may have already come up with their own theories regarding the Westworld season 4 storyline and character arcs, the one thing Westworld has really taught us over the years is to expect the unexpected. In fact, given its theme, one is likely to get clarity on who’s playing what role only once the show goes live. In fact, Westworld guards its secrets so closely that what you learn upon premiere often changes by the time the season wraps up.

HBO programming president Casey Bloys had previously hinted at the same in a prepared statement, back when Westworld season 4 was first announced: “From the western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”

Based on Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton’s 1973 feature film of the same name, Westworld debuted on HBO in 2014 with its first episode receiving record viewership. It went on to deliver the most-watched first season of any HBO series. The second season too became quite popular. The third instalment, however, proved to be a low-key affair when it was released amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mixed reviews and comparisons with the previous seasons further diluted its impact. It remains to be seen whether Westworld season 4 proves to be a memorable outing for fans.

Westworld season 4 premieres June 26 on HBO and HBO Max wherever available, and June 27 in India on Disney+ Hotstar. New episodes drop on a weekly basis. The series is created by Nolan and Joy, who are credited as executive producers alongside J.J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, and Bryan Burk.

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