Tag: Warner Bros.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

HBO officially developing ‘decade-long’ Harry Potter TV series with new cast

Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that it’s developing a live-action Harry Potter TV series for HBO.

The company says this will be a seven-season series, with each season focused on one of author J.K. Rowling’s seven novels. As a result, a new, younger cast will be featured, rather than the now-adult actors who starred in the Daniel Radcliffe-led films. Altogether, Warner Bros. says this will be a “decade-long series.”

News of the series surfaced earlier this month but is only now being confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery. As that original report stated, Rowling will remain involved as an executive producer, giving her some degree of creative control, although an actual showrunner and writer have yet to be hired. Additionally, Warner Bros. is in talks with David Heyman, the producer of the eight Harry Potter films, to serve as executive producer on the series.

An estimated release window for the first season of the series was not provided. Given that the series is being produced for Max — a newly rebranded combination of HBO Max and Discovery+ — in the U.S., it’s likely that it will stream on Crave in Canada.

For years, there have been many rumblings about how Warner Bros. would continue with the mainline Harry Potter series after 2011’s The Deathly Hallows — Part 2. While there’s been speculation that the company might want to adapt the sequel The Cursed Child play with the likes of Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, nothing official was ever confirmed.

Instead, the company has released three spin-off prequel films in the Fantastic Beasts series — all of which have been written or co-written by Rowling — between 2016 and 2022. However, reception to the Fantastic Beasts series has been middling, with last year’s Secrets of Dumbledore even garnering negative reviews and becoming the lowest-grossing movie in the entire ‘Wizarding World’ franchise.

Given that this will be the first attempt to adapt Harry Potter’s story without Radcliffe and co. playing the beloved characters, it remains to be seen how audiences will receive the series. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery has to navigate the ongoing controversies surrounding Rowling herself.

Since 2019, the author has made repeated comments about transgender people that have been condemned for helping to spread hatred and abuse toward an already marginalized community. Members of the LGBTQ+ community have criticized Rowling for her anti-trans rhetoric, as have Harry Potter cast members like Radcliffe, Watson and Grint. Most recently, Rowling led many to call for a boycott of Warner Bros.’ best-selling Hogwarts Legacy, a video game based on the Wizarding World, due to the fact that she would ultimately profit from its success.

Image credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment

Categories
Mobile Syrup

HBO planning to reboot Harry Potter into seven-season TV series: report

Warner Bros. is nearing a deal to produce a live-action streaming series for HBO Max based on the Harry Potter book series, according to Bloomberg.

The outlet says the plan is to have seven seasons, each focused on one of the novels. While the Harry Potter films were overall critical and commercial successes, they naturally had to cut a fair amount of material to fit into roughly two-hour runtimes. Therefore, Warner Bros. is intending to use the TV format for a more in-depth exploration of the storylines of the books on HBO Max. (In Canada, most HBO Max originals stream on Crave, so presumably, this series would as well.)

Currently, Warner Bros. is said to still be in negotiations with Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. While she’s not expected to be a showrunner, Rowling would still be attached as a producer to ensure the adaptation is faithful to her novels. Part of Rowling’s larger deal with the entertainment giant requires her to sign off on any Wizarding World-related projects.

The last mainline Harry Potter film was 2011’s Deathly Hallows — Part 2, although three spin-off prequel films in the Fantastic Beasts series — all of which have been written or co-written by Rowling — have been released in the years since. That said, reception to the Fantastic Beasts series has been middling, with last year’s Secrets of Dumbledore even garnering negative reviews while becoming the lowest-grossing movie in the entire ‘Wizarding World’ franchise. Therefore, it makes sense that Warner Bros. would return to the main Harry Potter series, especially in a nostalgia-fueled industry.

However, news of a potential Potter reboot has been met with a mixed response, with some pointing out that we’re barely 10 years removed from the Daniel Radcliffe-led movies. Beyond that, though, the Wizarding World is now viewed as tainted by many amid ongoing controversies surrounding Rowling herself.

Since 2019, the author has been making repeated comments about transgender people that have been condemned for helping to spread hatred and abuse toward an already marginalized community. Members of the LGBTQ+ community have criticized Rowling for her anti-trans rhetoric, as have Harry Potter cast members like Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who distanced themselves from the author while expressing support for trans people. Most recently, Rowling led many to call for a boycott of Warner Bros. best-selling Hogwarts Legacy, a video game based on the Wizarding World, due to the fact that she would ultimately profit from its success.

Should the HBO Max series go through, it remains to be seen who else will be involved and, more importantly, how Rowling herself might affect the project.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Source: Bloomberg

Categories
Mobile Syrup

HBO cancels Westworld ahead of planned Season 5

HBO has decided to cancel Westworld after its recently released fourth season.

It’s a shocking move from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, as Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan said as recently as last month that plans were underway to produce a fifth and final season. It’s unclear if and when we’ll ever see what they had planned to wrap up the series, which was set in a futuristic world and explored the ramifications of artificial intelligence.

Following its October 2016 premiere, Westworld has garnered significant acclaim and 54 Emmy nominations, making it a tentpole for HBO. In Canada, the series streams on Crave and is one of the service’s marquee titles.

Warner Bros. Discovery did not provide a reason for the cancellation, simply saying in a statement that it’s “tremendously grateful” to Joy, Nolan and the other people involved in the creation of the series.

However, the expensive series’ initially strong ratings and reception have dropped as the seasons went along, and Warner Bros. Discovery has been enacting significant cost-cutting measures as of late. In an effort to save over $3 billion USD (about $4.04 billion CAD), CEO David Zaslav laid off 14 percent of the HBO Max workforce in the summer while cancelling the near-finished Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, among other projects. Most recently, Warner Bros-Discovery chose to not move forward with a reboot of Degrassi, leaving that Canadian series’ future uncertain.

Image credit: HBO

Via: The Hollywood Reporter

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Warner Bros. reveals Mortal Kombat ‘collection RPG,’ coming to mobile in 2023

Warner Bros. has revealed Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a “collection RPG” that it’s calling the first “mobile-exclusive cinematic story experience” in the series.

Developed and co-published by Mortal Kombat studio NetherRealm, Onslaught tasks players with building a team of fighters from a “vast” roster of Mortal Kombat characters and face off in real-time group battles to stop a deadly threat.

Specific characters weren’t mentioned, but the official poster for the game does show a handful, including mainstays Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Raiden. However, no screenshots or footage from the game was shown, so it’s unclear exactly how you’ll “collect” fighters or how battles will actually play out.

Notably, this is the first mobile game in the long-running fighting game series since 2015’s Mortal Kombat Mobile. The latest entry, meanwhile, is 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11, which most recently got an enhanced port on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2020.

It’s unclear what NetherRealm’s next console/PC game will be. Earlier this month, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon said the studio is currently focusing on celebrating the series’ 30th anniversary, and a separate announcement regarding its next game will come after that.

For now, though, those interested in Onslaught can register for updates here.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Source: Warner Bros.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Warner Bros. and The Rock inviting fans to ‘exclusive’ Black Adam event in Toronto

Warner Bros. Canada has announced a “world-exclusive” event in Toronto for Black Adam that gives more than 900 fans a chance to see the superhero movie early with star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

While initially teased last month, the company has shared a new video message from the actor to his “favourite Mother Canuckers” alongside further details on the event, dubbed ‘Black Adam Rocks Canada.’

On October 13th at The Rec Room, fans can attend a special party hosted by Strizzzy with music by DJ 4Korners and giveaways for movie swag and other prizes. Following that, fans will head to the Scotiabank Theatre for an early screening of the DC Comics movie, which opens to the general public on October 21st.

Throughout the day, attendees will have the chance to win:

  • A trip to Los Angeles for a winner and guest (includes airfare, hotel, and tickets to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood)
  • Annual Cineplex CineClub Memberships
  • An evening at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto, including complimentary breakfast and afternoon tea for two
  • Lower-bowl tickets to a professional hockey game in Toronto
  • Lower-bowl tickets to a professional basketball game in Toronto
  • An evening at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, including complimentary cocktails
  • Black Adam Under Armor prize packs
  • McFarlane Toys prize packs
  • Pre-paid credit cards

The contest will be open to both Ontarians and Canadians in other provinces — here’s how to enter:

  • Cineplex will give away tickets to select CineClub members
  • Every week, Warner Bros. Canada will be giving away tickets via Twitter
  • Fan Expo Canada will also give away tickets via Twitter
  • Starting September 27th, Rogers Sports & Media will offer coast-to-coast viewers of Breakfast Television, and listeners of SONiC (British Columbia), KISS 91.7 (Edmonton) and KISS 105.3 (Ottawa) the chance to win a trip to the event, including airfare and hotel accommodations, while KISS 92.5 (Toronto), 100.5 (North Bay), and 102.7 (Kingston) will give away tickets to listeners in Ontario
  • A variety of local partners in Toronto will hosting giveaways on their respective social media pages, including: Dead Dog Records, Gotham Central Comics, Club Enhergy, Hairy Tarantula, Kops Records, Manic Coffee, See-Scape, Silver Snail, Storm Crow Manor, The Dock Ellis, The Grand Order of Divine Sweets

While it’s noteworthy that Canada is getting a “world-exclusive” fan event with The Rock, the megastar is certainly no stranger to the country. His father, the late Rocky Johnson, hailed from Amherst, Nova Scotia, while The Rock himself had a brief stint in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Source: Warner Bros. Canada

Categories
Mobile Syrup

WB’s free Multiversus open beta is now available

The free-to-play crossover fighting game Multiversus, featuring such Warner Bros. characters as Superman, Batman, Shaggy (Scooby Doo) and Tom & Jerry (Tom and Jerry), has rolled out its first open beta.

As of July 26th, the Player First Games-developed title’s open beta release is available to gamers in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand at 9am PT/12pm ET. The game is free-to-play across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC, with cross-platform play and progression enabled.

Additionally, whatever progress you make in the open beta version of the title will roll over to the official release, including purchases and game and battle pass progression.

According to the title’s FAQ page, there is no end date for the open beta yet, and the title will be continually updated with new characters, maps, seasonal content, and more in the months ahead.

At first, Multiversus will offer Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Harley Quinn (DC); Shaggy and Velma (Scooby-Doo); Bugs Bunny and Tasmanian Devil a.k.a. Taz (Looney Tunes); Arya Stark (Game of Thrones); Jake the Dog and Finn the Human (Adventure Time); Steven Universe and Garnet (Steven Universe), Tom & Jerry (Tom and Jerry), Iron Giant (The Iron Giant), and original character Reindog.

It’s worth noting that Harley Quinn, Shaggy, Jake the Dog, and Taz are already available to play now as part of the Early Access preview rotation. With the open beta, Superman, Finn the Human, Garnet, and Reindog will be available immediately as part of an updated preview rotation, with all other non-preview characters unlockable through gameplay.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Source: Warner Bros.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Ted Lasso, LeBron James and more have been datamined for MultiVersus

MultiVersus is an upcoming free-to-play crossover game featuring a variety of Warner Bros. characters, including Bugs Bunny, Batman, Steven Universe and more. Now, a new leak indicates that the beloved Ted Lasso is also on the way.

Reddit user “hugeleakeractually,” who confirmed the game’s existence and some of the current characters, has leaked a number of the fighting game’s upcoming roster. This is based on a data mine of the game’s code.

Some of the names are what we would expect, including Fred Flinstone, Johny Bravo, Scooby-Doo and the Powerpuff Girls, but it looks like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat and Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso are also making the cut. Alongside those two is LeBron James, who was featured in last year’s Space Jam: A New Legacy movie.

While this game probably won’t be as loved as Super Smash Bros, alpha gameplay videos and a quirky lineup of characters definitely makes this game very appealing.

MultiVersus is slated to launch later this year on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Source: Reddit

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore heads to Crave on May 30

Source: https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/whos-who-in-fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is coming exclusively to Crave on May 30th.

This is pretty notable since it’s the same date the film hits the U.S.-only HBO Max service. We saw this for the first time with The Batman, which hit Crave on April 18th.

Additionally, this is only six weeks after the film hit theatres on April 15th.

To watch the film, a Crave subscription starts at $9.99 per month for a Mobile plan that includes HBO access content like Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. If you don’t plan on only using Crave on your phone, a Crave Total subscription is required for streaming on Crave-supported devices.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series and is directed by David Yates. It stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Dan Fogler, Jessica Williams, and more.

It’s worth noting that Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is based on a screenplay co-written by J.K Rowling, who is quite problematic for her anti-transgender stances. As much as I love the Wizarding World, it’s good to keep updated on the issues the writer presents and how hurtful Rowling’s transphobic remarks can be to the community.

If you want to learn more about this controversy, head to this article that leads to readings offering more information on Rowling’s remarks from the LGBTQ+ community.

Image credit: Wizarding World

Source: Crave

Categories
Mobile Syrup

The Batman is coming to Crave on April 18

Bell has confirmed that The Batman will begin streaming in Canada exclusively on Crave on April 18th.

This is a particularly notable announcement since it’s the same date that the film hits the U.S.-only HBO Max service. In 2021, Warner Bros.’ film slate — including The Suicide Squad, Dune and The Matrix Resurrections — debuted on HBO Max and in U.S. theatres simultaneously, but Canadians had to wait several months for them to come to Crave.

As well, The Batman‘s streaming release comes just six weeks after the film opened in theatres on March 4th. A Crave subscription starts at $9.99/month for a Mobile plan, which includes access to HBO content like The Batman. However, a $19.99/month Crave Total subscription is required for streaming this content on any of Crave’s supported devices.

Co-written and directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman follows a younger version of the iconic DC superhero as he tracks down a serial killer known as The Riddler. Robert Pattinson stars as Batman, with the supporting cast including Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as The Penguin.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Hogwarts Legacy gets holiday 2022 release window, 14 minutes of gameplay

Warner Bros. has confirmed that its highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy game will launch in holiday 2022.

The release window was given during a new PlayStation State of Play presentation, in which 14 minutes of new gameplay footage were revealed.

Developed by Avalanche Software, Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world, action-RPG that lets players create their own wizard or witch, a fifth-year newcomer to Hogwarts in the 1800s. From there, you’ll get sorted into Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and attend various classes, including Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Herbology.

The larger story focuses on the player character, who holds mysterious magical abilities, as they work with Professor Fig to investigate a mounting goblin rebellion. Since the game is set in the 1800s, characters like Harry Potter won’t appear, although Avalanche promises some “familiar faces,” such as Nearly Headless Nick pre-head injury, will pop up.

Outside of all that, you’ll be able to explore Hogwarts’ grounds, including the castle and courtyards, as well as surrounding areas, like Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest. Brooms and Hippogriffs will be available to traverse the outdoor areas. As you explore, you’ll meet new students who can become Companions, who will teach you new spells and unlock their own story threads in a system that is reminiscent of Persona.

Gameplay-wise, Avalanche is promising “dozens” of spells, including Accio, Incendio, Confringo and Reparo. You can also use magical beasts in combat, such as a Mandrake to scream at enemies and stun them.

Outside of the gameplay footage, members of the Avalanche development team offered some commentary on their approach to the Wizarding World. You can see that towards the end of the State of Play.

Hogwarts Legacy is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox consoles and PC.

More to come…