When Variety broke the news last month that HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys had redefined the distinction between an “HBO show” and a “Max show,” there was a notable caveat. Max’s high-budget, tentpole Warner Bros. IP projects like the “Harry Potter” TV show, the “It” prequel series “Welcome to Derry,” and the Green Lantern adaptation “Lanterns” were set to move under the HBO umbrella. However, those changes wouldn’t take effect until after 2025.
The complication arose with two shows premiering this fall, “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy.” These shows had already been sold to international outlets as Max Originals, making it difficult to rebrand them due to existing contractual obligations.
“‘The Penguin’ would be an obvious fit as an HBO Original. Unfortunately, the process of licensing it internationally has already started,” Bloys said at the time.
However, after some strategic negotiations, the HBO team has managed to rebrand both “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy” as HBO Originals. Both series will now air on HBO and stream on Max.
Bloys had been eager to move these big-budget, prestige Warner Bros. IP series from Max to HBO after seeing early cuts of “The Penguin.” He believed the quality of these clips matched or exceeded HBO’s standards and deserved the HBO Originals label.
“What we ended up with are shows at this scope and scale that look great, with great narratives and talent we’ve worked with,” Bloys said. “The idea of the delineation kind of started to feel unnecessary. Like, why are we doing this? Let’s just call them what they are: HBO shows.”
And now, for “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy,” they are.
The news also comes as HBO prepares a significant presence for “The Penguin” at San Diego Comic-Con. This includes a takeover recreating Gotham’s Iceberg Lounge, stationing a Gotham Ice truck in front of the San Diego Convention Center, and partnering with local businesses for giveaways. Additionally, a Hall H panel will feature the cast and executive producers of ‘The Penguin,’ where the official trailer for the series will premiere.
According to the “Dune: Prophecy” logline, “From the expansive universe of ‘Dune,’ created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, ‘Dune: Prophecy’ follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.”
“Dune: Prophecy” stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Johdi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, and Shalom Brune-Franklin.
“The Penguin,” set immediately after the events of the 2022 “The Batman” film, is an eight-episode series starring Colin Farrell as the title character, who rises to power in the Gotham underworld to become one of the most notorious villains in the “Batman” universe.
Joining Farrell are Cristin Milioti, Michael Zegen, and Clancy Brown. Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, and David H. Holmes also star.
Last month, it was revealed that several Max Original shows are being rebranded as HBO Originals by Warner Bros. Discovery. This includes shows like “Welcome to Derry,” which will now air on HBO in addition to streaming on Max. “We felt like we had to delineate between an HBO show and a Max show,” HBO/Max’s Casey Bloys had explained earlier this summer.
Deadline confirmed that both “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy” will also be rebranded as HBO Originals. Like “Welcome to Derry,” this means they’ll be airing on HBO in addition to streaming on Max.
“It is part of a strategy to rebrand its highest profile titles into HBO Originals, giving them a linear airing on the premium cable network as well as a streaming bow,” Deadline explained.
“When the move was originally unveiled in June, the company said it was not sure whether The Penguin, which is set to premiere in September, and Dune: Prophecy would fall under the new branding but this has now been cleared up,” Deadline’s report continued.
Colin Farrell is back as Oz Cobb in Max’s upcoming “The Penguin,” a new limited television series that will expand upon the dark world of Matt Reeves’ movie “The Batman.” The eight-episode DC Studios limited series premieres in September 2024.
“Dune: Prophecy,” meanwhile, will be arriving this coming Fall. The series is set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, and before the universe knew them as the Bene Gesserit. From the expansive universe of Dune, created by author Frank Herbert, the six-episode first season follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
The “Dune” prequel series “Dune: Prophecy,” co-produced by Legendary, follows two Harkonnen sisters “as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit,” according to the show’s logline.
The series, which is based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s “Sisterhood of Dune,” stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning, and Yerin Ha.
The series is executive produced by showrunner Alison Schapker, co-developer Diane Ademu-John, director Anna Foerster, Jordan Goldberg, Mark Tobey, John Cameron, Matthew King, Scott Z. Burns, and Jon Spaihts. Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert also executive produce on behalf of the Frank Herbert estate.
Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, “The Penguin” picks up after the conclusion of the feature superhero reboot “The Batman,” exploring how Oswald Cobblepot rose to power to become the iconic villain.
In addition to Colin Farrell in the titular role, the previously announced cast includes Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.
The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, as well as Craig Zobel, who directs the first two episodes. Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions produce in association with Warner Bros. Television. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer under the 6th & Idaho banner, with Rafi Crohn as co-executive producer.
Source: Variety, Deadline, TheWrap
