Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Max Streaming Service Service Debuts In The U.S. On May 23 Max Announces Harry Potter Series, “Game of Thrones” Prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, And More

 

Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Max Streaming Service

Service Debuts In The U.S. On May 23   Max Announces Harry Potter Series, “Game of Thrones” Prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, And More

Warner Bros. Discovery (Nasdaq: WBD) today introduced Max, its enhanced streaming service, which will launch in the U.S. on May 23. Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids content, and best-in-class programing across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more. Max will stand out amongst streamers by uniquely combining unrivaled breadth and superior quality with iconic franchises and strong product experience, all for great value.   Introducing Max – the one to watch for every mood and every moment.   The event included a sneak peek at the launch campaign for Max, which kicks off tomorrow and celebrates the different moods, fandoms and genres that represent Max viewers. The campaign will invite new subscribers to experience Max’s improved product experience and expanded content for everyone in the household.

“From the biggest superheroes to real life champions; from culture-shaping dramas to taste-shaping entertainment; from fantastical realms to the realest of worlds, Max will offer an unrivaled range of choice,” said JB Perrette, President & CEO, Global Streaming & Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “This new brand signals an important change from two narrower products, HBO Max and discovery+, to our broader content offering and consumer proposition. While each product offered something for some people, Max will have a broad array of quality choices for everybody.” SIGNING UP Max will offer three pricing options, giving subscribers the choice to select which plan best fits the needs of their household.  Max Ad-Lite | $9.99/month or $99.99/year 2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality   Max Ad Free | $15.99/month or $149.99/year 2 concurrent streams, 1080 resolution, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality   Max Ultimate Ad Free | $19.99/month or $199.99/year 4 concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality

Existing HBO Max subscribers will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription and can visit http://help.hbomax.com/introducingMaxto find out more. Additionally, HBO Max subscribers will still have access to their current plan features for a minimum of six months following launch. HBO Max subscribers’ profiles, settings, watch history, “Continue Watching,” and “My List” items will also migrate to Max so they can pick up streaming right where they left off.   CONTENT OFFERING Max will bring HBO Max’s can’t-miss programming and Discovery+’s engaging real life entertainment content together to create a complete viewing experience for all ages. The service will feature a regular freshness of content with an average of more than 40 new titles and seasons every month. With a library of iconic favorites, Max will offer a world-class collection of globally recognized brands, franchises, series, and characters, making it a truly unprecedented offering. Audiences will be able to explore the iconic worlds of HBO, the DC Universe, and Harry Potter, plus hit movies, original series, and fan-favorite genres like true crime, reality, food, and comedy, all in one place.   “The Max service is a wide-ranging mosaic of content that will be unmatched in the breadth, reach, and excellence of its offerings,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content. “We are unique because we have the best-in-all-categories across the board by any measure – be they ratings, awards, fandom. We know we can satisfy any craving because we have the brands that people love. At Max, they will find what they want, when they want it.”   Newly announced titles include a Max Original Harry Potter series, a faithful adaptation of the beloved original book series by J.K. Rowling, who will serve as executive producer; a Max Original comedy series derived from The Big Bang Theory; an HBO Original “Game of Thrones” prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight; a Max Original drama series based on The Conjuring films; Magnolia Network’s Fixer Upper: The Hotel; Discovery Channel’s Survive the Raft; Max Original Peter & the Wolf from Bono; Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty: The Anime; Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Highway 20; Cartoon Network’s Tiny Toons Looniversity; and TLC’s Love & Translation.   Max also provided first looks today at additional highly anticipated upcoming titles including Max Originals The Penguin starring Colin Farrell; HBO Original drama series The Sympathizer, an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name; HBO Original limited series True Detective: Night Country starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis; HBO Original limited series The Regime starring Academy Award®-winner Kate Winslet; Max Original six-part docuseries SmartLess: On The Road, following Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes as they take viewers on an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the sold-out live tour of their podcast; and Max Original kids series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. In addition to Max original programming, a first look at HGTV’s four-part Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge hosted by Ashley Graham, which will also be available to stream on Max, was shown during the presentation. PRODUCT FEATURES  Whether you know exactly what you want to watch, you’re looking for personalized recommendations, or you’re in the mood to explore new interests, Max makes the journey to clicking play effortless. Max will bring all of this content into one seamless user experience that invites every member of the family to find great entertainment.   “Our incredible team has been hard at work taking the best of both legacy technology platforms to deliver a product that works much better,” said Perrette. “We’re confident that all these enhancements will deliver a stronger experience for our customers, which will drive more engagement, help enhance retention, and improve customer satisfaction, which in turn will help us continue to scale.”   Highlights include: Premium Video Playback: A new video playback experience will deliver smooth and cinematic video to users, wherever and however they prefer to watch. Whether binging their favorites, watching offline on-the-go, or tuning in on Sunday nights for the latest episode of Succession, users can count on seamlessly diving into their preferred worlds.   Personalization: Max will expand personalization beyond just the home page, offering a differentiated and high-performing experience for every user across the whole service.  By significantly increasing our investment in machine learning while maintaining an editorial voice, Max will deliver a unique human and machine approach that will help surface the best content for our users.   More Prominent Kids Experience: At launch, Max will introduce a default kids profile for new subscribers along with accompanying parental controls. Parents can choose to customize settings and select to limit content for the kids profile by ratings: little kids (tv-y), big kids (tv-y7, tvy7-fv), big kids plus (tv-g, g), preteens (tv-pg/pg), or teens (tv-14, pg-13). Parents will also have the ability to set individual profile PINs to lock access to their adult profiles, as well as a parent code to lock their children inside of the Max kids experience.   Simplified Navigation: Max works harder so viewers don't have to. Streamlined categories, improved content details pages, shortcuts, dedicated brand hubs and thematic content rails, make exploring the app and discovering new interests easier. The updated design coupled with a better personalization engine will help consumers quickly find and discover the best of what they are looking for.   4K UHD: The Ultimate Ad-Free tier of Max will have an expanded catalog of content available in 4K UHD including key programming such as Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight Trilogy and more. All Warner Bros. movies released this year and going forward will also be available in 4K UHD when they arrive on Max following their theatrical windows.

Max Announces THE BIG BANG THEORY Project In Development New Comedy From Chuck Lorre Is Currently In the Works With Warner Bros. Television.

 

Max and executive producer Chuck Lorre are developing a new comedy series derived from “The Big Bang Theory.” The project is in the works at Warner Bros. Television, where Lorre is under an overall deal.   Plot details are currently under wraps. Lorre will executive produce via Chuck Lorre Productions. The new show would be the second collaboration between Max, Lorre, and WBTV. Lorre and Nick Bakay are currently in production on the new Max Original comedy series “How to Be a Bookie,” starring Sebastian Maniscalco.   This would mark the second series derived from the world of “The Big Bang Theory,” following the prequel “Young Sheldon,” which begins with Iain Armitage starring as “The Big Bang Theory” character Sheldon Cooper as a nine-year-old, living with his family in East Texas and going to high school. “Young Sheldon” is in its sixth season on CBS and ranks as the #1 comedy on TV among Total Viewers.   All episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” and the first five seasons of “Young Sheldon” are available to stream on Max in the U.S.   “The Big Bang Theory” debuted in 2007 and was the number one comedy in the world when it concluded its successful 12-season run in 2019 as the longest-running multi-camera series in television history, with 279 episodes. The series won ten Emmy® Awards and received 55 Emmy® nominations. Additionally, “The Big Bang Theory” won a Critics Choice TV Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and The Humanitas Prize.   In 2015, The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation created “The Big Bang Theory” Scholarship Endowment at UCLA, which supports undergraduate students in need of financial aid who are pursuing their higher education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In 2019, “The Big Bang Theory” Graduate School Fund was created to provide four-year scholarships for “Big Bang” UCLA scholars who continue their STEM education in graduate school within the University of California system.

Max Releases Official First Look Footage And Image From THE PENGUIN, Starring Colin Farrell The Series From Warner Bros. Television And DC Studios Is Currently In Production

 

• Max has released first look footage and an image of the series, officially titled THE PENGUIN from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. Starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin, the eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster “The Batman,” and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film. The first look was revealed today exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles.
   
• Cast: The previously announced cast includes Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.
   
• Credits: The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro. Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, THE PENGUIN is produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer and Rafi Crohn is co-executive producer

WETA Workshop The Lord of the Rings: Tower of Orthanc Environment Statue Review.

 

A review of  WETA Workshop’s The Lord of the Rings: Tower of Orthanc Environment Statue. Click on the photo below to view the full review on YouTube.

(C) Copyright 2023 By Mark A. Rivera

All Rights Reserved.

NATIONAL TOUR KICKS OFF RETURN OF ADULT SWIM’S “METALOCALYPSE,” ALL-NEW FILM, SOUNDTRACK, AND “DETHALBUM IV” RELEASES FORTHCOMING

 

NATIONAL TOUR KICKS OFF RETURN OF ADULT SWIM’S “METALOCALYPSE,”ALL-NEW FILM, SOUNDTRACK, AND “DETHALBUM IV” RELEASES FORTHCOMING   The long-awaited return of Adult Swim’s favorite heavy metal adventure “Metalocalypse” arrives with a nationwide tour of the series’ on-screen band DETHKLOK. A full-length original film, written and directed by Brendon Small, “Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar,” a companion soundtrack and“Dethalbum IV” will also arrive this year. DETHKLOK will kick off their twenty-nine-date national tour on August 30 with Japanese kawaii metal pioneers BABYMETAL as co-headliners and virtuoso guitarist Jason Richardson as support. “It’s very surreal having so much new ‘Metalocalypse’ & DETHKLOK this year with the trifecta of the tour, movie and album,” said Small. “I’m so excited to get on the road with the powerful BABYMETAL, and to celebrate all the hard work that team ‘Metalocalypse’ and DETHKLOK put in over the last two years and beyond!”   The “BABYKLOK” tour will also include appearances at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, VA (September 10), Louder Than Life in Louisville, KY (September 23) and Aftershock in Sacramento, CA (October 7). THE BABYKLOK TOUR 2023:   Wed-Aug-30-23: Houston, TX -713 Music Hall Thu-Aug-31-23: Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom Sat-Sep-02-23: Orlando, FL - Orlando Amphitheater Sun-Sep-03-23: Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy Tue-Sep-05-23: Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium Wed-Sep-06-23: Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre Fri-Sep-08-23: Pittsburgh, PA - UPMC Events Center Sat-Sep-09-23: Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre   Sun-Sep-10-23: Alton, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival Tue-Sep-12-23: Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center Thu-Sep-14-23: Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway Fri-Sep-15-23: New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom Sun-Sep-17-23: Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre Mon-Sep-18-23: Toronto, ONT - RBC Echo Beach Wed-Sep-20-23: Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe Thu-Sep-21-23: Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Sat-Sep-23-23: Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival Sun-Sep-24-23: Milwaukee, MN - The Rave/Eagles Club Mon-Sep-25-23: Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore Wed-Sep-27-23: St. Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park Thu-Sep-28-23: Omaha, NE - Steelhouse Omaha Sat-Sep-30-23: Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium Sun-Oct-01-23: Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex Tue-Oct-03-23: Vancouver, BC - PNE Forum Wed-Oct-04-23: Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater Sat-Oct-07-23: Sacramento, CA - Aftershock Festival Sun-Oct-08-23: Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort Tue-Oct-10-23: Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theater Wed-Oct-11-23: Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater   Ticket information and VIP packages can be found at thebabykloktour.com.   Also coming later in 2023 is “Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar,” an original full-length movie written and directed by Brendon Small (“Metalocalypse”) and produced by Titmouse, Adult Swim, and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. The film stars Small, Tommy Blacha, Victor Brandt (“Metalocalypse”), Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner (Grammy®Award-winning musician), King Diamond (KING DIAMOND; MERCYFUL FATE), Mark Hamill (“Batman: The Animated Series”; “The Machine”), Kirk Hammett (METALLICA), Jon Hamm (“Confess, Fletch”; “Top Gun: Maverick”), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Amy Lee (EVANESCENCE), Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange”), Juliet Mills (“Passions”), Laraine Newman (“Saturday Night Live”), Raya Yarbrough (“Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem - a Klok Opera”), and Livia Zita (2022 winner - Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Award).   The all-new animated movie begins after the heroic rescue of Toki Wartooth; DETHKLOK frontman Nathan Explosion finds himself traumatized in a BRUTAL professional and romantic flat-spin, all while he is tasked with fulfilling the prophecy and confronting the ultimate songwriting challenge to save the planet. Can Nathan Explosion look beyond his brutally damaged ego to save his band, stop the Metalocalypse, and finally face the ultimate evil: Salacia?   As a special highlight, fans can also anticipate the release of two full-length albums this year. WaterTower Music will release both the film soundtrack, “Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” as well as “Dethalbum IV” around the launch of the film. Meanwhile, fans can summon DETHKLOK by streaming the Metalocalypse: Dethklok Complete Collection playlists.  “Metalocalypse” originally premiered in 2006 on Adult Swim and was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. About DETHKLOK & “Metalocalypse” DETHKLOK, an extreme metal band, is the most successful entertainment act on the planet and the seventh largest economy in the animated world of Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse.”. Live, they are a multi-media powerhouse that showcases animation, comedy and brutality, excellently recreating the popular albums and animated visuals in a live atmosphere. Band members include musician and show co-creator Brendon Small and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan and more! About Adult Swim Adult Swim is the leader in adult animation and #1 destination for young adults for over fifteen years, offering critically acclaimed, award-winning original and acquired series such as “Rick and Morty,” “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” “The Eric Andre Show,” “SMILING FRIENDS,” and the upcoming “Unicorn: Warriors Eternal” and “My Adventures with Superman.” Fan favorite anime block, Toonami, airs on Saturday nights and has expanded beyond acquisitions, producing original series including “Housing Complex C,” “Uzumaki,” and new seasons of “FLCL.” The annual Adult Swim Festival reaches a global audience, and features performances by top musicians and comedians. Adult Swim airs nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.(ET/PT) on its linear channel and reaches fans via HBO Max. Connect with Adult Swim on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. Subscribe to Adult Swim on YouTube.   About Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE)distributes the award-winning movies, television, animation, and digital content produced by Warner Bros. Discovery to the homes and screens of millions through digital transactions on major streaming, video-on-demand cable, satellite, digital, and mobile channels, and through physical Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD retail sales. WBDHE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, one of the world’s largest distributors of entertainment programming.   About WaterTower Music WaterTower Music, the in-house label for the Warner Brothers Discovery companies, releases recorded music as rich and diverse as the companies themselves. It has been the soundtrack home to many of the world’s most iconic films, television shows and games since 2001.

Star Wars: The Black Series Bo-Katan Kryze Premium Electronic Helmet Review.

 

A Star Wars: The Black Series Bo-Katan Kryze Premium Electronic Helmet Review. Click on the photo below to view on YouTube.

(C) Cioyright 2023 By Mark A. Rivera

All Rights Reserved.

The Best of Freakmaker.

 

Presented in an abridged digitally rotoscoped comic filter to evoke a classic horror magazine serialized. Click on the photo below for the playlist.