Posted in: HBO, Max, Movies, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: constantine, dcu, J.J. Abrams, jj abrams, madame x, Warner Bros
J.J. Abrams/Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Eyeing TV/Film Deal Extension
Remember those Constantine and Madame Xanadu series? J.J. Abrams/Bad Robot is reportedly in talks to renew their Warner Bros. TV/Film deal.
Every now and then, there's a news break that can still catch you off guard and leave you shaking your head – even when you had assured yourself that there's nothing out there that can surprise you anymore. With that in mind, reports are that J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot are close to renewing their TV and film deal with Warner Bros. The news comes as Abrams' 2019-signed five-year deal (estimated at a value of $250M) reaches its end in a manner that can best be described as disappointing. When Warner Bros. Discovery came into play in 2022, Abrams' deal with the company was one of many put under the microscope by WBD CEO David Zaslav – and understandably so.
Does everyone remember the live-action Constantine series we never got? Or how about that Angela Robinson-produced "Madame X" series? How about the Justice League Dark project that would've brought together the supernatural side of the DCEU? Outside of the DCEU, Abrams' sci-fi drama Demimonde made bigger headlines over its reported cost and production time than what it was actually about – with WBD eventually pulling the plug. On the Stephen King front, "The Shining" spinoff series Overlook never came to fruition, while the animated series Batman: Caped Crusader would prove a hit – for Amazon's Prime Video.
That said, Abrams/Bad Robot also had some projects hit the screens – with some interesting ones on the way. David E. Kelley's Presumed Innocent was a hit for Apple TV+ and will be returning for a second season. On the documentary/docuseries side, Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, and Yankees Win also premiered this year. On the horizon, Bad Robot has the drama series Duster set to hit Max and a Speed Racer series still in development over at Apple TV – along with the film Flowervale Street, set to hot screens in 2025. While specifics on a potential new deal aren't yet known, it's expected/assumed that the value will be far less than the 2019 deal.