An HBO Max executive provides a new update on where they and J.J. Abrams stand on their partnership. While Warner Bros. Discovery has signed multiple overall deals with various filmmakers over the last few years, one of the creators they have struggled to get content from is Abrams. The director signed a $250 million five-year deal with the studio in 2019, with him set to produce new original content for various WarnerMedia branches, including Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO/HBO Max. Almost three years later, few of his projects have come to fruition, which has put Abrams' partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery into question.
However, it appears Abrams is still good on the HBO Max front, according to Sarah Aubrey, who is the head of originals for the Warner-owned streaming service. In a new interview with Abrams, despite Warner Bros. reportedly being frustrated with the filmmaker not coming through with his end of the deal. Per Aubrey, Abrams' TV show, Duster, is still going forward, and while she doesn't mention any other projects from him, she remains "very bullish" that they will have a good partnership, sharing the following:
“We have the TV series ‘Duster,’ that’s on the runway with him and that is going to be — knock wood — up and running very soon. I’m very bullish about that, and it’s one that JJ has been intimately involved with and that’s a really fun process to be a part of. People want to grab onto stories, and development comes together and doesn’t come together all the time. That’s actually a very normal part of our jobs, and more often than not, it doesn’t, honestly. So I think to draw a circle around one or two shows and make an overall judgment is a little inaccurate. I’m very excited about the work that we have at Max with J.J.”
J.J. Abrams' WarnerMedia Deal Needs A Big Win
Even though Duster is one of Abrams' series that is safe on HBO Max, the Bad Robot Productions owner needs to come through with a win in his WarnerMedia deal, which is up in a few years. One of the big shows that Abrams was developing for HBO Max was Batman: Caped Crusader, which The Batman director Matt Reeves was also attached to, alongside Bruce Timm. Despite Batman: Caped Crusader being shopped around, it has still been a setback for Abrams and not a good look for his overall deal with Warner Bros.
Since Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has made it crystal clear that they are cleaning house in order to make the studio profitable again, Abrams could be one of the creators they sever ties with if he doesn't get content made for the company. If Abrams can't manage to bring forward any properties that make a profit, it wouldn't be shocking if Warner Bros. Discovery chooses not to extend his overall deal after 2024. The same goes for if he doesn't make anything at all in the coming years.
What's The Latest On The Justice League Dark Universe
With DC being one of the big brands that Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to expand upon in the coming years, with Peter Safran and James Gunn leading DC Studios, the fate of Abrams' Justice League Dark universe is still up in the air. While not canceled, Abrams' Constantine and Madame X shows are not happening on HBO Max anymore and are instead being shopped around to other platforms. Nothing has emerged yet about the actual Justice League Dark TV show, and there has been no progress on the Zatanna live-action movie that Bad Robot Productions has been attached to since 2021. Even though it's reportedly moving forward, there are little to no details on what's going on with Abrams' Black Superman reboot with Ta-Nehisi Coates either. Hopefully, 2023 will be the year when Abrams' projects, including all of his DC pitches, come to fruition, including on HBO Max.
Source: Variety