We had learned last month that several Max Original shows are being rebranded as HBO Originals by Warner Bros. Discovery, with shows including “Welcome to Derry” now confirmed to 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 brings us an update on the shift this morning, officially confirming that both “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy” will also be rebranded as HBO Originals. And like “Welcome to Derry,” this means they’ll be airing on HBO in addition to streaming on Max.
Deadline explains, “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.”
“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 continues.
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.