Harry Potter: the future series changes house and becomes an HBO program

Warner Bros. Discovery changes strategy (again). After announcing that its future flagship series would be produced under the “Max Originals” label of its new streaming platform, the group is backtracking. The next big series — such as Harry Potter, It : Welcome to Derry et Lanterns — will ultimately be branded HBO.

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“It’s not TV, it’s HBO”

Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max programming, made the announcement of this change of direction, explaining the need to make a distinction between a show labeled “HBO Original” and a show labeled “Max Original”:

“When we started producing these shows, we were using the same methods, the same type of thinking, that we did on the HBO shows. And in many cases, it was the same talent that worked on the HBO shows.”he explains.

And to continue: “We ended up getting shows of this scope and scale that look great. […] The idea of delimitation began to seem unnecessary. We said, why are we doing this? Let’s just call them what they are: HBO series.”.

It is true that HBO is undoubtedly the most prestigious brand on the Max streaming platform, while the newly created Max Original label is far from being well identified by the public. Additionally, the next series Lanterns — based on the DC Green Lantern comics — is for example co-written by Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof, known for the HBO series True Detective, The Leftovers et Watchmen.

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The Max Original buffer should therefore be reserved for less expected programs and less premium intellectual properties (the famous “IPs”). But if this decision is logical on an editorial level, we can ask ourselves the question of why it was not taken from the start, especially after the rebranding with great fanfare of the platform last year, from “HBO Max” to simply “Max”.

The change in labeling will therefore impact programs derived from major Warner franchises from 2025, starting with It : Welcome to Derry. This therefore does not concern the next series The Penguin or Dune : Prophecyexpected during the year 2024. Enough to confuse spectators a little more.