What the hell is going on over at Warner Bros. Discovery?

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

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Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

This probably belongs in “Cancelations” but my blog, do what I want, etc. SO. Warner Bros. was in the final stages of post-production on a $90 million Batgirl movie that was going to stream on HBO Max when news broke yesterday that Warner Bros. Discovery is shelving the movie and it will never be seen. They have also shelved Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, a $40 million animated film that was expected to premiere on the streamer in December. 

So what gives? Why not just release movies that you’ve already spent money making? Turns out, it has something to do with some weird tax accounting and Warner Bros. Discovery going in a different direction with their feature films. When Discovery bought Warner Bros., they pledged to shed $3 billion in debt across all divisions. According to Deadline:

In both cases, the filmmakers were told that it came down to a “purchase accounting” maneuver available to Warner Bros Discovery because the company has changed hands, and also changed strategy from the previous regime. This opportunity expires in mid-August, said sources, and it allows WBD to not have to carry the losses on its books …

But also, back during the pandemic, Warner Brothers made the very controversial move to release all of their 2021 films on HBO Max. It made sense during a time when people were no longer going to movie theaters. But times have changed and huge tentpole movies are making the big bucks in theatrical release again. In response, Warner Bros. Discovery has canceled the HBO Max-first release policy, and part of their overall strategy is to try to turn DC into something akin to Marvel. As a result, they are looking to make $100 million+ DC films for specifically theatrical release. And so both of these films were deemed “too small” for a big promotional push and release in theaters. This coupled with the accounting maneuver mentioned above means these films won’t be released anytime soon — if at all.

That, at least, is the justification. But combined with the sweeping of the decks at TNT, TBS, The CW; the cancelations of critically-acclaimed shows like Raised by Wolves, Made for Love, Chad, Gordita Chronicles, Full Frontal, Joe Pera Talks with You and Close Enough; the recent scrubbing of six Warner Bros. movies from HBO Max (Moonshot; Superintelligence; The Witches; An American Pickle; Locked Down; and Charmed City); and the scrapping of big projects like The Wonder Twins and Demimonde, it’s leaving a lot of people worried that the Discovery side is trying to kill off the Warner Bros./HBO Max side. 

 Warner Bros. Discovery is going to release their Q2 earnings report tomorrow, and more information about how they intend to combine the companies is expected to be shared.

Stay tuned.

I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: DISCOVERY BETTER KEEP THEIR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY PRECIOUS FBOY ISLAND.

As big as Stranger Things was — and it was big — it still wasn’t as big as Squid Game.

The Stranger Things writers want you to know they’re back at work:

If you were wondering what was said on that phone call on the most recent Better Call Saul, a Redditor who speaks German has got you covered.

A tax services company is suing AMC and Better Call Saul for a ridiculous reason.

John Landgraf, the head of FX, has been predicting the end of peak TV for years now but says he’s really serious this time: 2022 is the year that peak TV will peak. LOL OK. We’ll check back in at the end of 2023, and see how well this aged, John.

As far as FX projects are concerned: Alien will begin filming next year; Fargo begins filming this fall, and Shōgun will debut next year.

And Sarah Paulson is out here threatening to not come back to American Horror Story. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR IT, SARAH.

According to The Kid Mero, Desus & Mero had been wanting to do their own things for over a year now. Welp.

Give Jennifer Coolidge all of the prizes:

CNN might be making some anchor shakeups soon in their attempt to shift back towards news programming.

A couple of pieces of good political news: the Senate finally passed the burn pits benefits bill only after Jon Stewart shamed them to death; and Kansas just voted to protect abortion rights in enormous numbers. I’ll take whatever good news I can get right now. Oh, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck can fucking shut it. You weren’t missed, honey.

Renewals

  • Good Trouble has been renewed for season five on Freeform.

Cancellations

  • First Kill has been canceled after one season on Netflix. Fans are furious considering it had more viewers than Heartstopper which has been renewed for two more seasons.

In Development

  • The Lovers, a Sky drama, has been picked up at Sundance Now.
  • The Netflix series Jigsaw has changed its name to Kaleidoscope.

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • The Good Fight will return on Paramount+ on September 8.
  • Selena + Chef returns on HBO Max on August 18.
  • Lost Ollie premieres on Netflix on August 24.
  • Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story will debut on Netflix on August 11.
  • Glorious will premiere on Shudder on August 18.
  • Love & Hip Hop: Miami returns on VH1 on August 8.
  • NFL Icons will return on Epix on September 10.

R.I.P.

Vin Scully, TV and radio announcer for the L.A. Dodgers for 67 years

WATCH THIS

CMA Fest: Dierks Bentley and Elle King host 30 performances from country music’s biggest performers. 7 p.m., ABC

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The Orville: Season three finale — and, honestly, probably the series finale. Hulu

All or Nothing: Arsenal: A look back at Arsenal’s 2021-2022 season. Premiere. Prime Video

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Kevin Bacon, Jo Koy, Katherine Blanford
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Ron Howard, Morfydd Clark, James Taylor
  • The Daily Show: Ryuji Chua
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