HBO Max Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic While most contemporary music documentaries fall into the realm of self-produced hagiography, no one will be making that charge about “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” a clear-eyes/hearts-full documentary coming from HBO Max documentary that had its world premiere at the Grammy Museum. At a Q&A with Isbell and director Sam Jones following the screening of the film, which begins streaming April 7, moderator Colin Hanks, a big Isbell fan, asked the doc’s star: “What was it about this that made you go, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do a doc,’ and really make yourself a little bit more raw than maybe you had even in your songs?”

Succession creator and show runner Jesse Armstrong has revealed his thoughts on his initial pitch to end the show with season four.Speaking to Variety at the Succession premiere earlier this month, Armstrong shared that he had secretly hoped he would be talked out of ending the show so soon while maintaining that the hit HBO series has come to a “natural” end.“The word that comes to mind for me is ‘natural.’ I hope people, when they see this season, will feel that it has a natural shape to it. That’s how I pitched it to my writers’ room, kind of hoping I’d get argued out of it so we’d see a way to do more seasons, because I love working with these people.

tracking the status of all the primetime programming on those broadcast channels as well as all the 2023 premieres, ET has also put together a continuously updated guide to all the notable original series on the biggest digital services including Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and a few select others.

Casey Bloys left the decision about when to end its award juggernaut “Succession” to creator Jesse Armstrong, but the HBO and HBO Max chairman and CEO would have loved to see more seasons of the drama about the Logan family media empire.Speaking at the Series Mania festival in Lille, France on Thursday, the HBO and HBO Max chairman and CEO said of the series ending after four years: “He is choosing to end his story when and how he wants. But if he said ‘I have two more seasons in me,’ I would have said yes.”He added, “I would have taken more, but generally speaking, that is the kind of thing you want to leave to a creator.

Succession show-runner Jesse Armstrong decided to end the show despite HBO being hungry for more seasons.HBO executive Casey Bloys revealed that the television network behind the hit show “would have taken more” seasons. Talking to Variety, Bloys hinted the network was at least hoping to get two more seasons out of Armstrong.“I would have taken more, but generally speaking, that is the kind of thing you want to leave to a creator,” said Bloys.

What’s the worst-case scenario for an extramarital affair? Divorce? Ruined families and reputations? Murder? Such is the backdrop to “Love & Death,” an upcoming HBO Max original limited series. READ MORE: Elizabeth Olsen Says Scarlet Witch Could Appear In ‘Agatha’ Series: “I Think I’ll Be Back” Based on the real-life case of Candy Montgomery, “Love & Death” follows two church-going couples, Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allen Gore, whose once-quiet lives get upturned when Candy decides to pursue an affair with Allen and, soon enough, someone is picking up an axe… Elisabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons star in the new series from “Ally McBeal” and “Big Little Lies” scribe David E.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max is developing a drama series based on the life of Heidi Fleiss, Variety has learned exclusively. The untitled series hails from writer and executive producer Maggie Cohn, who most recently served as the co-showrunner on HBO Max’s critically acclaimed limited series “The Staircase.” Fleiss will serve as a consultant on the project. Emma Tillinger Koskoff (“Joker,” The Irishman”) of First Love Films will also executive produce, along with Alex Goldstone (“Dickinson”) for Anonymous Content, Bill Gerber (“Muhammed Ali,” “A Star Is Born”) of Gerber Pictures, and David Bernon, Paul Bernon, and Sam Slater of Burn Later Productions (“Support the Girls,” “Mile 22,” “Drinking Buddies”).

Succession season four has been heavily praised in early reviews, with critics branding the opening four episodes as “one of TV’s greatest achievements”.The final season of the HBO series picks up after events of the season three finale, where Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) tipped off Logan Roy (Brian Cox) about the Roy siblings’ plan to prevent Waystar Royco from merging with GoJo.With the company now slipping away from them, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) must continue to plot against their father in an ongoing power struggle.A synopsis for the season reads: “The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson moves ever closer. The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is completed.”The first four episodes of the final season have received widespread praise, earning four and five-star reviews from most critics.“Powerhouse performances from the Roy clan offer a dazzling masterclass of buttoned-up emotions competing with years of desperately craving approval from the family patriarch,” writes IGN.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Evan Jones has signed with Buchwald for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. In addition, Jones has landed a recurring guest star role in the upcoming HBO Max crime drama series “Duster” from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan. Jones will continue to be represented by Artists First and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. Jones is best known for his roles in films like “8 Mile,” in which he played Cheddar Bob, and “Jarhead,” in which he played Fowler. Jones’ other notable film roles include “Den of Thieves,” “The Book of Eli,” “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” “Shot Caller,” and “Hotel Artemis.” In television, Jones has appeared in shows like “October Road,” “Houdini,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Midnight, Texas,” and “CSI: Cyber.”

Filming on “The Penguin,” HBO Max‘s first series spinoff of Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” got underway in New York City last month, with set footage of star Colin Farrell back in full Oz makeup on the street making the rounds online. The series focuses on the power vacuum in Gotham’s criminal underworld after the events of Reeves’ film and The Penguin’s rise to power.

tracking the status of all the primetime programming on those broadcast channels as well as all the 2023 premieres, ET has also put together a continuously updated guide to all the notable original series on the biggest digital services including Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and a few select others.

“The Sopranos” and then there’s everything else.David Chase’s incomparable, serio-comic drama ran from 1999-2007 and made such an impression that it has’t never left the cultural conversation since its infamous cut to black.In fact, “The Sopranos” has remained so relevant that show stars Michael Imperioli (also from the second season of “The White Lotus”), Vincent Pastore and Steve Schirripa are literally talking about their time on the show onstage all over the country.Yet, every show on the tour isn’t just idle chat like what you’d hear at The Bada Bing! though — rather, the former cast members, share behind-the-scenes stories, answer audience questions and review rare video footage.There’s only one problem.Unfortunately, “Christopher Moltisanti,” “Big Pussy” and “Bobby Baccalieri” only have a few gigs lined up this year.At the time of publication, the trio, along with moderator-comedian Joey Kola, have just three speaking engagements scheduled.First up, the trio from the 21-time Emmy winner will chop it up at Boston, MA’s Shubert Theatre on March 11.After that, they’re scheduled to hit Providence, RI’s The Strand Ballroom and Theatre on April 1.Finally, the trio will depart from anywhere even remotely close to New Jersey and head northwest to Warren, MI’s Andiamo Celebrity Showroom on Nov. 4.Woke up this morning and wanted to see “The Sopranos” live?Here’s everything you need to know.A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to buy tickets can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

House Of The Dragon co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has revealed that the upcoming second season of the hit Game of Thrones prequel will feature several new dragons – five to be exact.While at a special screening of its first season in Los Angeles recently, Condal shared “You’re going to meet five new dragons,” per The Hollywood Reporter. Condal did not elaborate on the identities or the riders of these five dragons.Condal did, however, share that production on season two of the show will begin “soon”.

HBO has confirmed that the upcoming fourth season of Bill Hader’s action comedy series Barry will be its last.Per a press statement as shared by The Hollywood Reporter, Bill Hader (Barry) said: “It’s been an amazing journey making this show, and it’s bittersweet that the story has come to its natural conclusion.”HBO and HBO Max’s executive vice president Amy Gravitt added: “After three masterful seasons of Barry, we are eager for viewers to see the powerful, complex and hilarious conclusion to Barry Berkman’s story. It has been a pleasure working with this immensely talented team including Bill Hader, Alec Berg, Aida Rodgers and the entire exceptional cast and crew.”HBO has also released a teaser trailer for season four of Barry, which can be seen above.Barry‘s last season will being airing on HBO on April 16 and will consist of eight episodes.

The Last Of Us is littered with beloved songs from popular culture – you can take a look at the full list below.Gustavo Santaolalla, who scored the hit 2013 video game, also returned to write the music for the TV series while also adding a number of other songs.In the TV series, songs from different decades imply a code, with songs from the 1960s meaning nothing new for trade, while songs from the 1970s suggest new inventory.Episode one revealed that songs from the 1980s imply danger in the characters’ world, with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) noting that Wham‘s ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ had played.At the end of the first episode, Depeche Mode‘s song ‘Never Let Me Down’ played over the credits, implying more danger to come.Take a look at the full list of songs from the series according to which episode they were played in.Episode 1 – ‘When You’re Lost in the Darkness’Episode 2 – ‘Infected’Episode 3 – ‘Long Long Time’Episode 4 – ‘Please Hold My Hand’Episode 5 – ‘Endure And Survive’Episode 6 – ‘Kin’Episode 7 – ‘Left Behind’Episode 8 – ‘When We Are In Need’N/ACheck back weekly as more episodes air to see the full tracklist.In a four-star review of the show, NME wrote: “Gamers have been burned before by poorly conceived adaptations of their favourite titles, so they were naturally skeptical.

author Cash Carraway, is set in England and follows struggling and impoverished single mother Costello Jones (Cooper), her daughter Iris (Fleur Tashjian) and Costello’s best friend Selby (Jack Farthing, “Poldark”) — a wealthy gay man who is Costello’s pseudo “soul mate” and Iris’ father-figure. “It’s an unconventional love story, really,” Cooper, 36, told The Post. “[Costello and Selby] are from opposite ends of the spectrum. He’s very affluent, she’s poor, and they’ve both been neglected in different ways and haven’t got the skills to have a normal healthy relationship, so it gets toxic.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max’s “The Batman” spinoff series “The Penguin” has cast Clancy Brown in a recurring role, Variety has learned. Brown joins a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell. Brown will appear as Salvatore Maroni, a notorious Gotham City crime boss. The character was referenced repeatedly in “The Batman,” as his arrest by corrupt Gotham officials and the collapse of his criminal empire allowed for Carmine Falcone’s organization to rise. Maroni has previously been portrayed onscreen by actors like David Zayas in “Gotham” at Fox and by Eric Roberts in “The Dark Knight.”

HBO‘s Succession.Season four – which is set to be the hit show’s last – has received its first and final full trailer, which can be seen in full above. The intense clip kicks off with Logan (Brian Cox) asking his personal assistant Kerry Castellabate (Zoe Winters) why everyone’s worried about how he feels. “I got done a huge deal.

If you want proof of how badly HBO Max wants the “Dune” franchise to succeed, look no further than the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the spinoff TV series, “Dune: The Sisterhood.” Before the most recent news (more on this in a second), the series has already gone through multiple showrunners (Jon Spaihts, Dana Calvo, and creator Diane Ademu-John have all stepped away) over the years it’s been in development.

The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.Based on the celebrated PlayStation game of the same name, original series creator Neil Druckmann co-wrote The Last Of Us alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). The series has quickly become a ratings smash.The first episode became HBO’s second biggest premiere in over a decade after House Of The Dragon, racking up 4.7 million viewers in the US while viewership of the second episode jumped up to 5.7 million viewers, a 22 per cent increase.

Ellise Shafer HBO Max’s “Dune” prequel spinoff “The Sisterhood” is going through some changes. Both director Johan Renck and star Shirley Henderson have exited the HBO Max series, Variety has confirmed. The news comes as the production takes a “pre-scheduled hiatus,” according to the streamer. “There are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material,” a HBO Max representative said in a statement. “Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen.”

exit as co-showrunner last November.“As ‘Dune: The Sisterhood (wt)’ has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, there are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material,” an HBO Max spokesperson told TheWrap. “Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement, Johan is moving on to pursue other projects.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max‘s Dune prequel TV series’ long journey to the screen is taking another turn.Dune: The Sisterhood (wt), which started production in late November, is undergoing a creative shift, a director change and a recasting.

The Last Of Us premieres today (February 26) and introduces a new but important character.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.So far, the pair have encountered a variety of different characters, with the likes of Gabriel Luna (Tommy), Nick Offerman (Bill), Murray Bartlett (Frank) and Melanie Lynskey (Kathleen) all guest starring throughout the season.Episode seven of The Last Of Us takes a pause on Joel and Ellie’s quest for a cure to focus on Ellie’s backstory, introducing new character Riley.Storm Reid plays Riley. According to the HBO website, Riley is “an orphaned girl growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston.”Riley was mentioned by Marlene (Merle Dandridge) to Ellie in episode one but this will be her first on-screen appearance.Reid’s breakout role was as Gia Bennett, the younger sister of Zendaya‘s Rue, in Euphoria.

is expanding, with a prequel series coming to HBO Max. Set in the world of Stephen King's universe, is based on the author's novel as well as filmmaker Andy Muschietti's successful feature film adaptations, and . The series is being developed by Andy Muschietti as well as sister Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, both of whom were involved in the films.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+ added 1.1 million subscribers in Q4 to end 2022 with a total of 96.1 million worldwide. That’s up from the 95 million combined global streaming customers Warner Bros. Discovery hit from July 1-Sept. 30, the quarter during which the highly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” debuted. During the Oct. 1-Dec. 31 quarter, “House of the Dragon” concluded its first season the second season of HBO’s hot Mike White drama “White Lotus” premiered. Details about the upcoming combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streamer — which does not yet have a name, launch date or pricing details — will be revealed at an April 12 press day.

HBO Max‘s “Hacks” has been paused as its star, Jean Smart, recovers from a “recent successful heart procedure.”The 71-year-old Emmy-winner addressed her surgery Thursday on Instagram, writing in a post, “February is American Heart Month – a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent successful heart procedure.“I am fortunate to have excellent care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor – I’m very glad I did!”Smart did not specify the type of heart procedure she underwent.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max is officially moving forward with the “It” prequel series currently titled “Welcome to Derry,” Variety has learned. The show was first reported as being in development in March 2022, while Variety exclusively reported that the project had attached its co-showrunners in November. As previously reported, the series was developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs. “As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s ‘It’ until the thick paperback fell to pieces,” said the Muschiettis. “‘It’ is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our ‘It’ movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.”

Andy Muschietti‘s two “IT” films from 2017 and 2019 brought Stephen King‘s 1986 epic horror novel to the big screen for the first time. Now Muschietti will develop the franchise even further.

Sam Smith has teased a cameo appearance in the upcoming second season of Sex And The City spin-off And Just Like That.And Just Like That, which debuted its first season at the end of 2021, saw the return of original Sex And The City cast members Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, while Kim Cattrall was absent as Samantha Jones.A second season was confirmed by HBO Max in March last year, with Cattrall set to return as Samantha.Smith could be another surprise addition to the show, after they shared a post on Instagram in collaboration with the show’s official account.In one photo, Smith pokes their head out of a trailer on set in New York, while the other sees them sitting on a chair on the street.“Up to something unholy on set,” they wrote in the caption, referencing their recent hit single with Kim Petras.A post shared by SAM SMITH (@samsmith)The upcoming second season of And Just Like That “feels like iconic Sex And The City episodes,” according to an HBO Max executive.The streaming service’s head of originals, Sarah Aubrey, has revealed what to expect from the next edition of the show. “What you’re seeing this season is all of these characters embracing life,” Aubrey told Variety.

Can we expect to see dragons again next year?

HBO Max declined to pick up a fourth season of South Side, the comedy from Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Sultan Salahuddin.

Selome Hailu “South Side” has been canceled after three seasons at HBO Max. The comedy series followed Simon (Sultan Salahuddin) and Kareme (Kareme Young), best friends who just graduated from community college and are ready to take over the world, but are stuck working at a rent-to-own furniture store until they do. MTV Entertainment Studios produced the series. Executive producers included Bashir Salahuddin, Riddle, Michael Blieden, Jax Media’s Tony Hernandez and MTV’s Ari Pearce, Kristyn Deignan and Tara Power. “While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a fourth season of South Side, we are so proud of the rich world Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Sultan Salahuddin created,” an HBO Max spokesperson said, confirming that the series would not be moving forward. “We thank them and Michael Blieden, Tony Hernandez, the supremely talented cast and crew and our partners at MTV Entertainment Studios.”

The HBO comedy “South Side” will not move forward after three seasons.The HBO Max Original series starred best friends Simon (Sultan Salahuddin) and Kareme (Kareme Young), who work at a rent-to-own furniture store while planning for bigger things.“While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a fourth season of South Side, we are so proud of the rich world Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Sultan Salahuddin created,” an HBO Max spokesperson said in a statement to media. “We thank them and Michael Blieden, Tony Hernandez, the supremely talented cast and crew and our partners at MTV Entertainment Studios.”The show was shot on location in Englewood, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.

The Last Of Us premieres today (February 19) and reintroduces viewers to a familiar face.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.Last seen in episode one of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama, Tommy is Joel’s younger brother. While we haven’t seen Tommy since the start of the outbreak, Joel has told Ellie that his little brother got involved with revolutionary group the Fireflies, which ultimately led to their split.Gabriel Luna plays the role of Tommy.

Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+ and even more streaming services, there’s no shortage of options when choosing what to binge-watch this weekend. However, sometimes the amount of great film and television available to stream can be overwhelming and lead to scrolling aimlessly — hoping to land on that perfect piece of content.  Scroll no more! To help you out, ET has rounded up the best movies and TV shows to stream this week, including new arrivals, nostalgia-filled favorites and Oscar-nominated titles you may have missed the (well-deserved) hype on that are worth circling back for.From new episodes of The Last of Us, and  to the streaming premiere of , we’ve got your content covered this week. For even more recommendations, make sure to check out our guide for everything new on Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+ and more this month.