“The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy” will premiere as HBO Originals and stream on Max as part of a strategy shift by Warner Bros. Discovery, an individual familiar with the matter told TheWrap.
The move comes after the company recently turned three Max originals – “Harry Potter,” the DC series “Lanterns,” and the “IT” prequel “Welcome to Derry” – into HBO originals.
When the strategy shift was first unveiled in June, HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys was unsure whether “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy would be able to make the switch due to the international licensing process for the titles already underway. But that hiccup has now been surmounted, and the shows will air on linear HBO while also streaming on Max the same was megahits like “House of the Dragon” and “The Last of Us” do.
The “Dune” prequel series “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,” 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 feature superhero reboot “The Batman,” exploring how Oswald Cobblepot rose to power to become the iconic villian.
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.
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