Salli Richardson-Whitfield Re-Ups Overall Deal With HBO & HBO Max

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.

HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge to become one streaming service next year.In a second quarter earnings call on Thursday (August 4), Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav announced that the merged streamer will launch in the summer of 2023 in the US, with Latin America, Europe and other territories to follow soon after. The combined streaming service will be released with ad-free, ad-light and ad-only options.As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Zaslav addressed concerns that the merger would result in less emphasis on original programmes.

Warner Bros. Discovery is doubling down on HBO and HBO Max.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is not going to say how many HBO and HBO Max customers it has.In the second quarter, the media conglomerate said HBO Max, HBO and Discovery+ subscribers combined were 92.1 million, up about 1.6 million from 90.4 million the prior quarter. That’s up 22% 75.8 million on a pro-forma basis versus a year earlier.However, WBD’s streaming businesses lost subscribers domestically in Q2, dropping 300,000 — falling from 53.3 million in the first quarter to 53.0 million as of June 30.For Q1, AT&T — the prior owner of WarnerMedia and HBO Max — had reported 76.8 million total HBO and HBO Max subscribers worldwide, including 48.6 million domestically.

HBO and HBO Max have made several upsetting decisions this year, including canceling yet another TV show this week.

There are some interesting, somewhat odd things happening over at Warner Bros. Discovery, huh? Obviously, we have yesterday’s news that “Batgirl” and the new “Scoob!” films are both being shelved even though they were seemingly close to being finished.

Six hit Warner Bros. movies were quietly removed from HBO Max and fans are not happy.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery has been quietly culling content from HBO Max — including several Warner Bros.

HBO and HBO Max have had a ton of programming changes this year so far, resulting in numerous renewals and a handful of cancellations, too.

Clayton Davis “Have no fear of perfection — you’ll never reach it.”A quote by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí feels appropriate when discussing the apprehension about releasing the Will Smith-starrer “Emancipation” this year. With “Killers of the Flower Moon” staying the course for 2023, and Smith posting an apology video for slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars, a path to bowing the Apple Original Film is becoming more clear.There’s never going to be a “perfect” time to release any Smith vehicle in the future — whether it’s in 2022 or a decade from now — nor will the public ever forget his actions of the evening.

EXCLUSIVE: The Piano Lesson has a new Broadway home: The much anticipated production, which begins performances this fall and will star Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks under the direction of LaTanya Richardson Jackson, will play at the the Ethel Barrymore Theatre rather than the previously announced St. James Theatre.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.The upcoming reboot, which drops its first three episodes Thursday on HBO Max, shifts the focus to Millwood, a small town not far from Rosewood. A series of tragic events 20 years ago almost tore the blue-collar town apart and now, in the present day, a disparate group of teen girls — aka the main Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown assailant, «A,» and made to pay for the secret sins committed by their mothers two decades ago — and their own. Bailee Madison, who plays Imogen, shared that she connected with former star Lucy Hale, who portrayed Aria in the original series, throughout the process of getting cast on In fact, after Madison's casting was announced last July, Hale and fellow alum Shay Mitchell celebrated by leaving comments on her Instagram post. «Lucy's a dear friend of mine and was really with me through the whole process of finding out if I got to be a part of the show or not, and just held my hand through every step of the way, which meant the absolute world to me as a friend,» Madison told ET's Deidre Behar. «And just as someone I respect and have admired her for so many years.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRodney Barnes has renewed his overall deal with HBO for a further three years, Variety has learned.Barnes most recently worked as a writer and executive producer on the premium cabler’s hit series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Barnes was credited with co-writing nine episodes of the show’s 10-episode first season. The show was renewed for a second season in April, with Barnes continuing on with the show as writer and executive producer.Under the terms of the deal, Barnes will continue to develop, write, and produce shows in a variety of formats under his Rodney Barnes Productions banner.Barnes’ past TV credits include shows like “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” “The Boondocks,” and “My Wife and Kids.” His current development slate include: the feature adaptation “Ride Around Shining” at Netflix; a miniseries on Tiger Woods; a feature for New Regency with Jordan Vogt-Roberts attached to direct.

Winning Time writer, producer and comic book creator Rodney Barnes is staying in business with HBO, with a renewal of his overall deal for three more years.

The future of HBO Max’s European originals team has appeared bleak ever since it emerged Warner Bros Discovery was stopping production in the continent, and it now looks to be facing the end.

Carson Burton The Kering Foundation’s first-ever Caring for Women Dinner is set to raise funds for organizations that work to support those affected by gender-based violence. The dinner will take place on September 15 in New York City and will be hosted by Anderson Cooper.Co-chaired by Salma Hayek Pinault, François-Henri Pinault, Gisele Bündchen, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Julie Mehretu and Gloria Steinem, all proceeds from the event will benefit three Kering Foundation partner organizations: the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Ms.

“Rap Sh!t” debuts Thursday, July 21 with two episodes premiering as a special event at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, with new episodes weekly after that.