Posted in: HBO, streaming, TV | Tagged: bad robot, Demimonde, HBO, hbo max, J.J. Abrams

Demimonde: HBO Not Going with J.J. Abrams Series Could Be Interesting

So remember back at the end of May when those reports surfaced that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav wasn't too happy with the state of affairs when it came to their $250 million overall deal with J.J. Abrams & Bad Robot. What reportedly started that fire burning was the reported $200M+ being spent on Abrams's upcoming HBO sci-fi drama Demimonde (in comparison, the report cites HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel series House of the Dragon coming in at less than $200M). Though a number of scripts had reportedly been reviewed, a decision on the projects was still in limb… until tonight, that is. Based on reporting from Variety, the series will no longer be moving forward at the cable network. Set to be written and directed by Abrams, Kira Snyder (The Handmaid's Tale) and Rand Ravich & Far Shariat (Life) were aboard as showrunners with casting notices beginning to go out as of April (and Danielle Deadwyler reportedly set to lead).

So could this be the start of a strained relationship between WBD and Bad Robot? Even with Demimonde now off the table, there's still the matter of the DCU projects Abrams has his hands on. As the WBD and Disney continue competing to have their respective Marvel and DC Comics IPs branded as far and wide as possible on streaming, there was a ton of hope placed on Abrams & Katie McGrath's Bad Robot when it was announced that they were developing an HBO Max series based on Justice League Dark (like a "Justice League" that defends against magical and supernatural threats) as well as spinoff series for Constantine and Madame X. But as we reach the midpoint of 2022, still nothing on streaming screens nearly three years into their deal- reportedly a source of "some frustration within the halls of Warner Bros. Discovery" in that Abrams has "laid claim to a number of DC characters" but hasn't produced (though sources say that Warners has seen scripts for Constantine and the pilot of Madame X). And let's not forget the Batman adult-animated series that Abrams and Matt Reeves (The Batman) are reteaming on, also still in development.

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