Moviefone Editorial

Tag: warnermedia

  • ‘Doctor Who’ Finds Streaming Home at HBO Max

    ‘Doctor Who’ Finds Streaming Home at HBO Max

    Jodie Whitaker in Doctor Who
    BBC Studios

    WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, has landed another beloved series.

    “Doctor Who” is slated to stream on the platform when HBO Max launches in spring 2020, Variety reports. The streamer has locked down exclusive U.S. streaming rights to past seasons as well as future ones. Upcoming seasons will hit HBO Max after airing on BBC America.

    The platform already has a number of big draws that will be available to watch when it’s officially up and running. For example, “Friends” is leaving Netflix and crossing over to HBO Max. There will also be past hit HBO series like “Game of Thrones” and “The Sopranos” alongside originals. Furthermore, the new deal with BBC Studios includes the British version of “The Office,” “Top Gear,” and “Luther,” among others, in addition to “Doctor Who.”

    Kevin Reilly, HBO Max content chief and president of TNT, TBS, and truTV, expressed excitement about the deal in a statement Thursday. He referred to “Doctor Who” as “one of television’s all-time, most beloved series, on both sides of the pond.” Reilly added that it’s “another series to further define the high-quality content experience consumers can expect from HBO Max.”

    We look forward to testing out that high-quality content experience in spring 2020. The monthly cost hasn’t been announced yet, but sources previously told the Wall Street Journal that subscribers would likely pay $16 to $17 per month.

    [via: Variety]

  • ‘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 Exploring Reboots of Warner Bros. TV TGIF Sitcoms: Report

    WarnerMedia Exploring Reboots of Warner Bros. TV TGIF Sitcoms: Report

    Family Matters
    Warner Bros. TV

    Some of the best TV comedies of the ’80s and ’90s might get new life. WarnerMedia is reportedly exploring possible reboots of some of the Warner Bros. Television sitcoms that were part of ABC’s iconic TGIF lineups.

    Shows like “Family Matters,” “Step by Step,” “Perfect Strangers,” and “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” could possibly be revived, Deadline reports. Sources tell the publication that there is interest and they are in the exploratory stages. The possible shows would be intended to launch on WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service.

    TGIF was a programming block that started in the late ’80s and was hugely successful in the ’90s. Different sitcoms rotated in and out of it over the years, and some of the others included “Webster,” “Full House,” “Dinosaurs,” and “Boy Meets World.” “Full House” was already successfully revived for Netflix, as Deadline points out, potentially leading the way for other such reboots.

    WarnerMedia is hard at work ahead of its launch. There are numerous new series in the works, some of which are based on familiar Warner Bros. properties and some that are new to fans. The company announced earlier Monday, for example, that it has ordered an animated series that will serve as a prequel to the 1984 comedy-horror flick “Gremlins.” News also broke that a show based on the novel “The Flight Attendant” is the works with Kaley Cuoco set to star.

    There’s still a lot to be done — including establish which, if any, reboots to order — but it’s already clear that the streaming service will have a lot to offer when it launches in 2020.

    [via: Deadline]

  • ‘Gremlins’ Animated Prequel Officially Ordered to Series

    ‘Gremlins’ Animated Prequel Officially Ordered to Series

    Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
    WarnerMedia

    “Gremlins” will officially live on through WarnerMedia’s forthcoming streaming service. The company announced Monday that it has given a 10-episode order to an animated prequel series, “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.”

    There were earlier reports of WarnerMedia’s plans for the prequel, and now there are more plot details. The animated series will head back to 1920s Shanghai to tell the story of how Sam Wing and the Mogwai called Gizmo met. (Sam grew up to be the show owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 movie.) They’ll end up taking a dangerous journey through the Chinese countryside, joined by a street thief named Elle. Along the way, they’ll encounter and battle monsters and spirits, all while a power-hungry industrialist and his army of evil Gremlins are in pursuit.

    The prequel comes from Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation, both of which were also behind the 1984 comedy horror film. Tze Chun is writing the series, and it will be executive produced by Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, and Sam Register. Co-executive producers are Chun and Brendan Hay, and Dan Krall is a supervising producer.

    WarnerMedia is set to launch in 2020, but so far, no release date for “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” has been announced.

  • Kaley Cuoco to Star in Thriller Series ‘The Flight Attendant’ for WarnerMedia

    Kaley Cuoco to Star in Thriller Series ‘The Flight Attendant’ for WarnerMedia

    Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory
    CBS

    Kaley Cuoco isn’t leaving Warner Bros. now that “The Big Bang Theory” is over.

    The actress is set to star in and executive produce a thriller series for WarnerMedia called “The Flight Attendant.” It’s part of a new agreement with Warner Bros Television, according to Variety. She signed an exclusive, multiyear deal with a talent holding provision and will develop additional TV projects with her production company, Yes, Norman.

    “The Flight Attendant” is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It centers on a hard-drinking flight attendant who wakes up in a Dubai hotel room one morning with a dead man and no recollection of what happened. Steve Yockey (“Supernatural”) is set to adapt the story, and he’ll executive produce alongside Cuoco, Suzanne McCormack, and Berlanti Productions’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.

    This isn’t Cuoco’s first post-“The Big Bang Theory” TV project. She’s also set to voice Harley Quinn in Warner Bros.’s upcoming animated series centered on the supervillain. Yes, Norman is again producing, with Cuoco among the project’s executive producers.

    “The Flight Attendant” will premiere on the the forthcoming WarnerMedia streaming service, which is slated to launch in 2020.

    [via: Variety]

  • WarnerMedia Orders ‘Dune’ Series With Director Denis Villeneuve

    WarnerMedia Orders ‘Dune’ Series With Director Denis Villeneuve

    Dune
    Universal Pictures

    A “Dune” movie reboot just wasn’t enough for WarnerMedia — the entertainment company has ordered a series set in the novels’ universe for its forthcoming streaming service.

    WarnerMedia gave a straight-to-series order to “Dune: The Sisterhood,” Deadline reports. Like the 1984 film and the upcoming 2020 reboot, it is based on the books by acclaimed sci-fi writer Frank Herbert. Denis Villeneuve, the director of the upcoming “Dune,” is set to helm the pilot.

    The series is said to be told through the eyes of the Bene Gesserit, an order of women with special abilities. They have plans that will bring them to Arrakis, the desert planet from the movies. Members of the Bene Gesserit play into both films and now will be central figures in the TV series.

    Villeneuve, one of the show’s executive producers, described the Bene Gesserit as “fascinating” to him. “Focusing a series around that powerful order of women seemed not only relevant and inspiring but a dynamic setting for the television series,” he said in a statement, per Variety.

    Villeneuve will produce alongside Jon Spaihts, one of his co-writers on the 2020 reboot. Spaihts is also one of the “Dune” series writers. Their fellow producers are Byron Merritt and Brian and Kim Herbert. Co-producing is Kevin J. Anderson.

    WarnerMedia is preparing to launch its streaming service in 2020. It has begun to announce new series that will debut on the streamer, including a “Tokyo Vice” series starring Ansel Elgort. “Dune: The Sisterhood” is the latest, and like the others, it has heavy hitters involved.

    [via: Deadline]

  • Ansel Elgort Set to Star in ‘Tokyo Vice’ Series for WarnerMedia

    Ansel Elgort Set to Star in ‘Tokyo Vice’ Series for WarnerMedia

    Ansel Elgort in November Criminals
    Stage 6 Films; Vertical Entertainment

    WarnerMedia has ordered yet another series for its upcoming streaming service.

    The drama series “Tokyo Vice” starring Ansel Elgort has landed a straight-to-series order, Variety reports. It will be an adaptation of the book of the same name by Jake Adelstein. J.T. Rogers is set to write the adaptation, Destin Daniel Cretton will direct, and Elgort, John Lesher, and Emily Gerson Saines will executive produce.

    Elgort has never been a regular on a TV series before. He has, however, recently starred in the films “Billionaire Boys Club,” “Jonathan,” and “November Criminals.” In “Tokyo Vice,” Elgort will play Adelstein, an American reporter who was admitted into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club and uncovered corruption.

    “Tokyo Vice” was previously going to be adapted into a film, with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role. THR reported the news in 2013, and at the time, filming was expected to begin in mid-2014. Rogers was on board as the screenwriter, and while the film hasn’t materialized, he’ll still get to tell the story. The upcoming show’s order is for 10 episodes.

    The series will be one of multiple new ones slated to debut on the forthcoming WarnerMedia streaming service. The platform is expect to launch in 2020.

    [via: Variety]

  • 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]

  • J.J. Abrams Eyes WarnerMedia, Apple for Mega Overall Deal

    J.J. Abrams Eyes WarnerMedia, Apple for Mega Overall Deal

    JJ Abrams
    Lucasfilm

    J.J. Abrams is narrowing down the list of suitors to sign a mega overall deal for his production company, Bad Robot, that could be worth $500 million.

    Abrams is responsible for directing some of the biggest movies in recent years, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the upcoming “Rise of Skywalker,” as well as creating and/or producing hit TV shows like “Lost” and “Alias.”

    Variety and Deadline report that WarnerMedia is the frontrunner to land Abrams, with Apple also a strong contender.

    Disney and Comcast have also been in the mix.

    The deal would encompass films, television, digital content, music, games, consumer products, and theme-park opportunities.

    Abrams has a long history with WarnerMedia; Bad Robot was based at Warner Bros. TV for many years and resulted in many successful shows, including three at HBO (“Westworld,” “Lovecraft,” and “Demimonde”). WarnerMedia is also working to launch its own streaming service, which could be home to any number and kind of Bad Robot productions.

    Abrams also has three shows in the works at Apple: the Stephen King adaptation “Lisey’s Story,” Sara Bareilles’ “Little Voice,” and “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” starring Jennifer Garner.

    Variety says the competition for Abrams’ deal has been “intense” and likened by studio executives to “The Bachelor” — “with jokes made between competitors about who among them received the rose.”

  • Elizabeth Banks Developing Series Based on ‘Over My Dead Body’ Podcast

    Elizabeth Banks Developing Series Based on ‘Over My Dead Body’ Podcast

    Elizabeth Banks in Pitch Perfect 3
    Universal Pictures

    The Wondery podcast “Over My Dead Body” is headed to the small screen. WarnerMedia and Elizabeth Banks have teamed up on an adaptation, Variety reports. The series is intended for the upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service.

    Season 1 of the “Over My Dead Body” podcast focused on Dan and Wendi, two attorneys whose relationship fell apart. Things didn’t just end — they ended very, very badly. Their story includes divorce and even a murder case.

    Banks is set to direct as well as executive produce the series through Brownstone Productions. Wondery’s Hernan Lopez and Marshall Lewy will also executive produce, as will Max Handelman. Dannah Shinder is a co-executive producer, and the project comes from Warner Bros. Television. WarnerMedia has not commented on the news.

    “Over My Dead Body” host Matthew Shaer tweeted Wednesday that he’s “excited about this” project. He also added that he’s hoping for a role as an extra. He may need to talk to Banks about that.

    Banks established herself as an actress with roles in films like “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Seabiscuit,” and “Pitch Perfect.” She then made her directorial debut with “Pitch Perfect 2” and has continued to stay busy in front of and behind the camera. Not only did she write the upcoming “Charlie’s Angels,” she is also the film’s director and has a role as Bosley.

    No release date for the “Over My Dead Body” adaptation has been announced. The streaming service is slated to launch in 2020.

    [via: Variety]