Dan Lin is not going to take the DC job, after all. Back to the drawing board for David Zaslav and Warner Bros Discovery.
23.08.2022 - 03:27 / variety.com
Selome Hailu HBO Max has canceled upcoming animated feature film “Driftwood,” Variety has learned. From Cartoon Network Studios, the film was greenlit just three months ago.The family adventure movie is one of many titles being lost at the streamer — just last week, nearly 40 series and films were removed from the platform, such as “Little Ellen,” which had 20 completed episodes that were yet to be released.
The losses of these projects come as a result of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and CEO David Zaslav’s determination to cut $3 billion in costs.Announced by HBO Max on May 6, “Driftwood” was set in a decaying forest civilization dependent upon a toxic fuel source and ruled by an evil organization.
The film was meant to follow Clover, a tiny mouse-like creature who races across the stars to find Driftwood, society’s last free city which may hold the key to a safe and sustainable fuel source and future for the galaxy. The evil overlord Thorn aims eliminate Clover and destroy Driftwood in order to maintain their power, and Clover and his new friends Marigold and Caspia make a stand to stop them once and for all and save their forest on the edge of infinity.
“Driftwood” was created and executive produced by Victor Courtwright. Many of the titles getting the ax come from HBO Max’s kids and family department — as do many of the layoffs occuring at WBD.
70 HBO and HBO Max staffers lost their jobs earlier this month, several having worked on kids and family content. This aligns with Zaslav comments during WBD’s recent earnings call, as well as HBO Max’s statement after cancelling “Gordita Chronicles” after one critically acclaimed season last month: “Live-action kids and family programming will not be part of our
.Dan Lin is not going to take the DC job, after all. Back to the drawing board for David Zaslav and Warner Bros Discovery.
Warner Bros., I feel extraordinary pride in what my colleagues and I have contributed to the studio andto the big screen. And tremendous gratitude for the time spent with them and some of the most dynamic and creative icons of cinema.
Ethan Shanfeld Courtenay Valenti, president of production and development for Warner Bros. Pictures, will depart from the studio after 33 years. Valenti will carry out her role until the end of October. “We’ve known Courtenay and been admirers of her work for many years,” said Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, in a joint statement provided to Variety. “She’s been an integral part of Warner Bros. Pictures’ success for over three decades and has had a hand in guiding some of the studio’s most popular and successful films. She’s well-respected across the creative community, she’s beloved here on the lot, and she will be greatly missed. We know that she’ll be hugely successful in her next endeavor and join all of her colleagues in wishing her the very best.”
When Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav wanted to make a forceful first impression at the company’s upfront last spring, he used words designed to dazzle the audience of ad buyers.
actress Ivory Aquino isn't giving up on the DC Comics hero. Following a article that revealed Warner Bros.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Batgirl” actor Ivory Aquino is speaking out about Warner Bros.’ decision to indefinitely shelve the DC film. In an emotional letter addressed to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov, Aquino — who played the best friend of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) — pleaded for the studio executive to rethink the alleged plan to permanently destroy the movie’s footage. “As one of many who poured our hearts into the making of this movie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered,” Aquino wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. “As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights.”
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Warner Bros. is making a slew of release date changes next year. First of all, James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom needs more time in post, so it’s moving from March 17, 2023 to Dec. 25, 2023.
200 “Sesame Street” episodes and feature film “Batgirl,” which was slated to be released this year. On Monday, the service also axed six animated projects that were earmarked for HBO Max, including “Batman: The Caped Crusader,” from “The Batman” director Matt Reeves, J.J.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is going all in on The Batman director Matt Reeves and his 6th & Idaho production company. He has become the first filmmaker given an overall first look film deal since Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were hired by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to steer the film division. In addition, Reeves has re-upped with the Warner Bros. Television Group and Chairman Channing Dungey, where he is also working on The Batman spinoff series The Penguin with Colin Farrell.
EXCLUSIVE: For all the noise about David Zaslav’s quest to find $3 billion in cost-saving initiatives at the newly merged Warner Bros Discovery, what remains important to the new CEO is to spend on content where those dollars pay off.
Brian Stelter is out as CNN’s chief media correspondent and host of “Reliable Sources,” which will be canceled upon his departure — an expected move, given the show’s low ratings and an expressed desire by the network’s new leadership to move away from opinion-based news programming.Stelter’s exit comes less than four months after Chris Licht took over as head of CNN, following reports that the CEO was not a fan of Stelter’s opinionated on-camera style. Licht informed Stelter of the decision on Wednesday, and this Sunday will be the final episode of “Reliable Sources.”“I’m grateful for my nine years with CNN, proud of what we accomplished on ‘Reliable Sources’ and so thankful for the viewers who tuned in every week for our examination of the media, truth and the stories that shape our world,” Stelter said in a statement obtained by TheWrap.
combine HBO Max and Discovery+ next summer. “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+,” HBO Max said in a statement Wednesday.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeHBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys sent a memo to employees this afternoon, explaining the decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to layoff 70 employees, or 14% of his workforce, as the company restructures.
At the end of a day that saw about 70 (14%) staffers in his divisions getting laid off, Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO & HBO Max, just sent an email to his team about the cuts as well as his new (old) senior HBO/Max scripted executive team of Amy Gravitt, Francesca Orsi and Sarah Aubrey which includes new responsibilities for Gravitt and Aubrey.
After the nearly complete, $90-million “Batgirl” movie was cancelled by Warner Bros. Discovery, fans are wondering what other HBO Max content might be on the chopping block.
First announced in 2019, “Strange Adventures,” was going to be a DC Super Hero anthology series executive produced by Berlanti, that was supposed to feature characters from across the DC canon. The one-hour drama series would have explored close-ended morality tales about the intersecting lives of mortals and superhumans.Filmmaker Kevin Smith, who was set to direct and co-write an episode of the series with “Supergirl” writer Eric Carrasco, broke the news on his Hollywood Babble-On podcast.“I got a call the other day from Eric before all of this story broke and he was just like, ‘”Strange Adventures” is officially dead.’ And I was like, ‘What the f—, are you serious?!’” Smith said.Smith added: “I thought ‘Strange Adventures’ being a casualty kind of made sense to me.
Joe Otterson TV ReporterGreg Berlanti’s DC series “Strange Adventures” is not moving forward at HBO Max, Variety has confirmed.The planned anthology series was first announced as being in development at the streamer in 2019. Kevin Smith discussed the fate of the series on his “Hollywood Babble-On” podcast, saying he was working on an episode with “Supergirl” writer Eric Carrasco.“I got a call the other day from Eric before all of this story broke and he was just like ‘Strange Adventures is officially dead,’ and I was like ‘What the f–k, are you serious?!'” Smith said.“I thought ‘Strange Adventures’ being a causality kind of made sense to me,” he continued.
Kevin Smith has weighed in on Warner Bros. Discovery scrapping the movie starring Leslie Grace. The move made by the conglomerate has caused shockwaves in the industry and Smith, who is a comic book aficionado and writer, shared his thoughts on his YouTube series Hollywood Babble-On.
After a few days of mass uncertainty, with folks on social media wondering what is going on at one of the biggest studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. Discovery has shed some light on the company’s future.