Originally a private cable network, then a premium cable channel, then a mini-network of specialized and dedicated channels, HBO has evolved into a powerhouse of original content production. Game of Thrones is its most obvious success story. But series like Deadwood, The Sopranos, Westworld, True Detective, The Wire, Sex and the City, Girls, and many more have made the network a strong contender in the crowded streaming landscape. With the launch of HBO Max, the network’s offerings have been paired with major titles from Warner Bros., DC, Studio Ghibli, and more. The Verge can help you sort through HBO’s new content and follow its evolving business model as it looks for its next Game of Thrones.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the newly merged Paramount Skydance Corporation is thinking about making a majority cash bid to acquire the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery — a move that would consolidate two of the world’s largest media conglomerates into a single entity run by billionaire Larry Ellison’s son.
[The Wall Street Journal]
When HBO’s new comedy The Chair Company premieres on October 12th, William Ronald Trosper (Tim Robinson) will set out to discover the truth behind “a far-reaching conspiracy” that has him questioning everything about his life.
After months of teasing us all with snippets from It: Welcome to Derry, HBO has finally given the prequel series an October 26th premiere date.
The streamer will add Your Name, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Ghost Cat Anzu, and more titles starting September 1st. It’s also bringing Shin Godzilla and other films like the 1985 sci-fi flick Angel’s Egg to the platform later this year and into next.
[Warner Bros. Discovery]
Though technically, it was Max at the time. All but 200,000 of them came from international markets, bringing Max to 125.7 million subscribers worldwide — and according to Warner Bros. Discovery, still on track to hit 150 million next year.
The streaming division turned a profit of $293 million, after a loss this time last year, which will be good news for the Warner Bros. bit of the company ahead of their separation next year.
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A collection of 15 shows will be available on HBO Max, Vulture reports, including the Ricky Gervais-led version of The Office. They’ll be available until the end of September.
[vulture.com]
During an interview with Variety, HBO Max head Casey Bloys said the next season “is definitely planned for 2027,” though there might not be another one after that:
Craig [Mazin] is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.
The next season will be the first without the involvement of The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckman, who is shifting focus to upcoming Naughty Dog games.
The new half-hour limited series doesn’t have a name just yet, but HBO describes it as a celebration of American history that will star Larry David, a handful of other Curb Your Enthusiasm alums, and some “noteworthy guest stars.”
Warner Bros. Discovery had said the switch would happen sometime this summer, and now Variety, Deadline, and The Hollywood Reporter all say the move is imminent.
[variety.com]
If you’ve been waiting for Warner Bros. Japan’s follow-up to Batman Ninja, some good news: (HBO) Max announced today that Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is set to make its streaming debut this summer on July 3rd.
HBO’s Mountainhead is a snapshot of everything that’s ridiculous and terrible about Silicon Valley’s billionaire class.
As Deadline notes, the cross-platform viewer number that (HBO) Max just released for last night’s finale is down from the season premiere’s 5.3 million, but the company expects that “The audience will grow significantly due to low viewing levels over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.” According to the press release, the show’s global audience now numbers more than 90 million.
If you’ve seen the finale, what do you think about where the show is headed now?
The last few minutes of the season 2 finale are an important indication of where the story is going.
If you didn’t see Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 during its theatrical run, you can catch it on Max starting May 23rd.
[press.wbd.com]
The next Game of Thrones spinoff is now coming out in 2026 instead of 2025, Variety reports. HBO content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys apparently said at an event that it would come out in “winter,” though, so seems like it will be an early 2026 debut.
Warner Bros. Discovery did the right thing today — people mostly hated when HBO was cut from “HBO Max.”
HBO just dropped a trailer for Mountainhead, the new film from Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, which hits HBO and Max on May 31st.
While Succession skewered the media, Mountainhead has its sights on big tech. Steve Carell, Cory Michael Smith, Ramy Youssef, and Jason Schwartzman play Silicon Valley billionaires holed up in a mountain retreat while the outside world works through some crises, and I’m guessing they’ll have one or two of their own.
If The Brutalist’s 3+ hour runtime kept you from seeing it in theaters, some good news: you’ll be able to stream the movie at home on Max starting May 17th.
HBO’s post-apocalyptic world is more than just Joel and Ellie, though the second season doesn’t tell the whole story.
In a new interview in Variety, Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last of Us series, doesn’t seem confident the popular game turned HBO hit will get a third installment. “I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it,” he says in the interview.
Which is odd because just last year Druckmann said he thinks there’s one more chapter left to the story.
Succession may be over, but Jesse Armstrong has written and directed a new feature length project for HBO about “a group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis,” which sounds like the next best thing to the show coming back for another season. The movie stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef, and it’s set to debut this spring.
