Moviefone Editorial

Tag: warner streaming service

  • ‘Friends’ Officially Leaving Netflix for WarnerMedia Streaming Service, Which Now Has a Name

    ‘Friends’ Officially Leaving Netflix for WarnerMedia Streaming Service, Which Now Has a Name

    Warner Bros.

    “The One Where ‘Friends’ Leaves Netflix” is coming: WarnerMedia announced the official name and programming lineup for its new streaming service on Tuesday, revealing that it will be the exclusive home of the beloved sitcom beginning next year.

    That means that Netflix will be bidding farewell to one of its most popular programs, and the streaming service confirmed the sad news in a bittersweet Twitter post on Tuesday.

    “We’re sorry to see Friends go to Warner’s steaming service at the beginning of 2020 (in The US),” the tweet said. “Thanks for the memories, gang.”

    The move was long expected, after WarnerMedia revealed its plans last year to launch its own standalone platform. Netflix had to do some expensive financial wrangling to keep “Friends” in the fold for all of 2019 (and ward off rumors of its premature departure), but apparently couldn’t justify the financial toll of securing it in perpetuity. According to The Hollywood Reporter, WarnerMedia shelled out a whopping $425 million for a five-year exclusive contract for the series.

    But if you think “Friends” is all that the Warners service has to offer, think again: The new platform, called HBO Max, will feature not only films and TV series from the Warner Bros. and New Line libraries — including DC properties, the “Fantastic Beasts” films, and recent hits like “A Star Is Born” and “Crazy Rich Asians” — but also HBO content including “Game of Thrones,” “Big Little Lies,” and the upcoming “Watchmen” series.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCS4CaZ9dwg

    Other highlights include original movies from Reese Witherspoon and Greg Berlanti; numerous original series, including an animated “Gremlins” prequel; popular series like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Pretty Little Liars”; and content from a host of networks including Turner Classic Movies (“The Wizard of Oz” gets a big shout-out in the above promo), Cartoon Network, CNN, The CW, and TBS, among others.

    HBO Max is expected to launch in early 2020.

  • WarnerMedia Streaming Service May Cost $16-17 Per Month, Include HBO, Cinemax

    WarnerMedia Streaming Service May Cost $16-17 Per Month, Include HBO, Cinemax

    Kit Harington, Maisie Williams in Game of Thrones
    Helen Sloan/HBO

    AT&T, parent company of WarnerMedia, may be giving the people what they want: a huge library of movies and TV shows at a reasonable monthly rate.

    Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that the upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service is likely to be priced at $16 to $17 per month. The rate is said to include not just Warner Bros. TV content but also HBO and Cinemax. Pricing and content decisions are not yet fixed, though, per WSJ’s sources, and WarnerMedia has not commented on the new report.

    If the service does ultimately cost $16 to $17 per month and include HBO and Cinemax, that would be a deal. A subscription to HBO Now currently costs $14.99 per month. Meanwhile, Cinemax is priced at $5.99 monthly as a Hulu add-on and $9.99 per month on Amazon Prime.

    The reported plan for the new service to offer just one price tier at launch marks a change. WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey previously said the new service would offer three price tiers. Later, however, there could be a cheaper, ad-supported option added, WSJ reports.

    The service is slated to launch in 2020, so its beta form will reportedly be introduced this year. The official launch could come as early as March, with the ad-supported version then following later in 2020. Both will follow the launch of another much-anticipated streamer, Disney+, which arrives this November.

    In preparation for its launch, WarnerMedia is developing new shows that will premiere on the streamer. An Elizabeth Banks-directed adaptation of the podcast “Over My Dead Body” and a “Gremlins” series are among the projects in the works. In theory (and our TV-loving dreams), the streamer could also boast existing hit series like “Game of Thrones” and “Friends,” not to mention a host of films.

    More announcements will surely come as we get closer to the streamer’s launch, and we’ll be eagerly awaiting them.

    [via: WSJ]

  • Anna Kendrick Reunites With Paul Feig for Comedy Anthology Series ‘Love Life’

    Anna Kendrick Reunites With Paul Feig for Comedy Anthology Series ‘Love Life’

    Anna Kendrick in A Simple Favor
    Lionsgate

    WarnerMedia has ordered one of its first TV series for its upcoming streaming service, and the project reunites Anna Kendrick and Paul Feig.

    The two are executive producing a romantic comedy anthology series called “Love Life,” Variety reports. Kendrick will star in the series as well. She previously had a lead role in the 2018 mystery thriller “A Simple Favor,” which Feig directed.

    “Love Life” comes from creator Sam Boyd, who is set to direct. WarnerMedia gave the series a 10-episode order, and each will be a half-hour long. As an anthology series, it will have different protagonists each season. The episodes will tell different relationship stories.

    Kendrick has never starred in a TV series before. She is best known for her work on the big screen, including in the Twilight movies, the Pitch Perfect series, “A Simple Favor,” and more. Meanwhile, Feig has extensive TV and film experience. He directed “Bridesmaids” and “Ghostbusters,” as well as created the TV series “Freaks and Geeks.” They should again make for a formidable team.

    Lionsgate Television and FeigCo Entertainment are producing “Love Life.” Jessie Henderson, Bridget Bedard, and Dan Magnante all join Kendrick and Feig as executive producers.

    [via: Variety]

  • ‘Gremlins’ Animated Series Headed to WarnerMedia’s New Streaming Service

    ‘Gremlins’ Animated Series Headed to WarnerMedia’s New Streaming Service

    Warner Bros.

    “Gremlins” is multiplying again: The cult classic horror comedy is set to get an animated spinoff series.

    Variety has the scoop that the 1984 flick — which featured a cute creature named Gizmo who inadvertently spawns the titular havoc-wreaking hellions — will serve as the inspiration for a new, as-yet-untitled series that is slated to debut on WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service. The show will be a prequel focusing on the adventures of Gizmo and a young Mr. Wing, the Chinese grandfather character from “Gremlins” and 1990’s “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (played by Keye Luke in the films), in the years before Gizmo meets Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan).

    Amblin and Warner Bros., which produced the original films, will also be producing the series. Tze Chun (known for television series including “Gotham” and “Once Upon a Time,” and features including “Cold Comes the Night” and “Children of Invention”) will write and produce the project.

    No additional details are known about the series yet, and neither Amblin nor Warner Bros. responded to Variety’s request for comment. But the trade reports that this move is exactly what WarnerMedia has been planning all along for its streaming service, by developing new content based on its existing properties.

    There’s no word yet on when it will be premiering, but it’s expected to be among the original series set to launch on the service beginning in 2020.

    [via: Variety]