DC Universe's lineup of exclusive shows from Titans to Harley Quinn will move to HBO Max. DC launched the online platform in 2018 as a single location for DC fans to access thousands of digital comics and stream a wide variety of old DC shows and movies. But, the big draw for fans was the promise of original content. The first season of Titans was released shortly after the service went live and was later followed by Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, and Young Justice.
While DC Universe has delivered some quality original content through these live-action and animated shows, the future of the service has come into question recently. WarnerMedia's launch of HBO Max gave the company a bigger platform to house exclusive content, with Doom Patrol season 2 already moving from a DC Universe exclusive to an HBO Max original. This has left fans to wonder what the future of DC Universe is and if all shows will follow the same path.
During an interview with THR, Jim Lee, who is the Chief Creative Officer and Publisher for DC, was asked about the future for DC Universe. The interview came on the heels of a massive restructuring of WarnerMedia that put a bigger emphasis on the importance of HBO Max. When was asked what the future held for DC Universe, he revealed that the platform would be retooled as all original pieces of content will be moved to HBO Max at an unspecified time.
The original content that is on DCU is migrating to HBO Max. Truthfully, that’s the best platform for that content. The amount of content you get, not just DC , but generally from WarnerMedia, is huge and it’s the best value proposition, if I’m allowed to use that marketing term. We feel that is the place for that.
The transition of DC Universe's original content to HBO Max isn't too surprising, especially after social media accounts for these shows began dropping DC Universe from their names. WarnerMedia already tested this out with Doom Patrol, and the service lost Stargirl to The CW, where season 2 will be released exclusively. Lee didn't provide a specific timetable for when the shows will move from DC Universe to HBO Max, but there is time to figure that out. Season 1 and 2 of Harley Quinn are available on HBO Max, but it has yet to be renewed for a third season. As for Titans, the switch should happen before season 3 releases, while Swamp Thing and Young Justice can move whenever.
With HBO Max now set to be the home for DC Universe's content, the shows that continue will add to a growing list of DC content that the streaming service will offer. J.J. Abrams is developing a Justice League Dark series, Greg Berlanti is working on Green Lantern, and Strange Adventures shows, and Matt Reeves is producing a Gotham PD prequel series to The Batman. These shows could be flagship programs for HBO Max with high budgets, so it is possible the DC Universe shows could receive bigger budgets if they prove to be popular enough. In any case, this is a big blow to DC Universe's future.
Source: THR