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Open Channel: Which HBO Max Genre Series or Movie Would You Save?

In the wake of Batgirl's cancellation and ongoing corporate shuffling, other superheroes (and more!) could be on the chopping block.

Blackbeard from Our Flag Means Death, Bugs Bunny, Lady Jessica from Dune, and Harley Quinn
Screenshot: Warner Bros./HBO Max

The Warner Bros. and Discovery merger shake up continues, with increasing speculation over the fate of HBO Max and its original content. While DC Universe’s Batman spin-off The Penguin and Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker seem to be safe (for now, at least, per James Gunn’s “calm down” tweet and Colin Farrell’s recent Penguin enthusiasm), we can’t help but be a bit concerned about some of our other favorites—not to mention some in-development projects in the various genre franchises under the Warner Bros. shield. Will they make the cut?

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In today’s earnings call, the president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, re-affirmed his stance on “embracing theatrical.” The surprising cancellation of the nearly-completed Batgirl movie looks to be casualty of what he called “ aggressive steps to course-correct the previous strategy,” and during a Q&A portion he gave a bit more insight as to why Batgirl and other direct-to-consumer (DTC) films didn’t make the cut. “We have a team in place who’s going to build a 10-year plan for DC. Expensive DTC movies are no comparison to when you launch a film in theaters. We have done a reset. The objective is to grow the DC brand and characters and to protect them.” Zaslav likened the studio’s strategy of tackling the DC franchises to how Alan Horn, Bob Iger, and Kevin Feige built the Marvel Cinematic Universe—in regards to planning, at least, but not necessarily taking the same approach with storytelling.

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Here are some titles we may not know the fate of until the end of the year and into 2023 when HBO Max and Discovery+ merge into one service. What we wanna know is: if worst comes to worst, which one would you want to save? This list is by no means every genre series or movie HBO Max was either rumored or confirmed to have in the works—though frankly it’s not looking good for that Supergirl film—so if there’s one not listed that you were dying to see, let us know that too.

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Our Flag Means Death

Harley Quinn

Green Lantern series

Amanda Waller-centric Suicide Squad spin-off

Doom Patrol

Titans

Looney Tunes Cartoons

Tiny Toons Looniversity

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai

Dune: The Sisterhood

Jellystone!

Young Justice

Tooned Out

Clone High

Velma

You Brought Me the Ocean

Batman: Caped Crusader

My Adventures with Superman

Merry Little Batman

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Film

Bye, Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical  

The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie!


Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.