Last month, we learned that the Harry Potter reboot, It prequel Welcome to Derry, and DC Studios' Lanterns were all making the move from Max to HBO. This apparent shift away from streaming shocked many, but two upcoming titles weren't mentioned.
Those were Dune: Prophecy and The Penguin, both of which - as we first reported on ComicBookMovie.com - are now also heading to HBO.
Due to contractual issues stemming from each series being sold to international outlets as Max Originals, it was seemingly too late to change things. Somehow, HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys has made it work!
While Dune: Prophecy and The Penguin will still stream on Max, they're now being branded as HBO Originals and will premiere on the cable network in the same way as House of the Dragon and The Last of Us.
It's believed that Bloys watched early cuts of both shows and was keen to bring them under the HBO banner. That holds a great deal more weight than "Max" and, a traditional cable premiere likely means Warner Bros. Discovery can recoup its expenses through advertising rather than streaming subscriptions.
Dune Prophecy is set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides and 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.
The series is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
The cast of Dune: Prophecy includes 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 co-produced by Max and Legendary Television with Legendary also producing the film franchise that has released two installments to critical acclaim, the first of which garnered six Academy Awards.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Diane Ademu-John co-developed the series and serves as executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes, including the first.
Both The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy will premiere on HBO this fall. As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them.