WarnerMedia is ramping up its streaming TV output to fuel HBO Max’s launch. According to a recent Ampere Analysis report, streaming originals made up 73 percent of the company’s TV commissions in Q4 2019.
On the horizon is the feature film “Rose & Thorn,” which follows the travails of teen Rose Canton, who has a spit personality named Thorn. She’s out to catch her father’s killers, while trying to blend into high school.
While other DC Comics characters, such as Batman or Harley Quinn, are better known, Rose & Thorn, which debuted in Flash Comics in late 1947, boasts a singular appeal. Her abilities include chlorokinesis (manipulating plants and vegetation), enhanced speed and toxicology.
Other DC titles slated to appear on HBO Max are a Green Lantern and a “Strange Adventures” TV series. Both will be produced by Greg Berlanti (“Riverdale,” “Everwood”). The streamer has various DC Universe shows in the wings: “Titans” season three and “Doom Patrol” season two.
Another animated favorite, the kingdom of the “Aquaman” franchise, is expanding. Warner Brothers is developing an animated “Aquaman” miniseries for HBO Max. James Wan, who directed 2018’s “Aquaman” movie, will produce “Aquaman: King of Atlantis.” The story opens with Arthur Curry’s first day on the throne, which he claimed in the final moments of the “Aquaman” movie. The movie raked in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office and a sequel is expected in December 2022.
As the parent company of DC, WarnerMedia has a treasure trove of content to access.
The Berlinale Series romance-dramedy “Trigonometry” from Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell’s House Productions is also coming. Set in London, the show follows a cash-poor couple who open their small condominium to a renter, discovering a new way to stay – and love. It stars Gary Carr (“The Deuce”) Ariane Labed (“The Memento”) and Thalissa Teixeira (“The Musketeers.”)
In addition, HBO Max is developing “More Happy Than Not,” the bestselling YA novel, into a one-hour series. A 16-year-old boy in the Bronx, struggling after his father’s suicide, deals with issues of race and sexual identity, as he tries to regain some semblance of happiness.
Finally, Spotify is in final negotiations with HBO Max to adapt “The Two Princes” podcast into an hour-long animated special. The podcast currently stars Noah Galvin, Samira Wiley, Cynthia Erivo, Christine Baranski and Ari’el Stachel. Podcast writer Kevin Christopher Snipes will work on the adaptation. The LGBTQ podcast, which involves Prince Rupert setting out to break a curse and meeting handsome Amir, a rival prince, has been praised for its positive message.
Popular shows already confirmed on the streamer are “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “South Park,” as well as HBO’s originals, such as “Game of Thrones,” “Euphoria” and “Watchmen.” Blockbuster movies include “Joker,” Wonder Woman” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
HBO Max debuts in May at $14.99 per month.