Warner Max, the feature arm of HBO Max that launched earlier this year and was to be jointly run by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures, is already being phased out in another round of internal consolidation and streamlining at the media giant.
The shift comes in the wake of a high level executive shakeup this week which has seen Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich essentially assert control – he alone now has oversight over all feature output for WarnerMedia, be it streaming or theatrical. HBO Max’s chief content officer Kevin Reilly, who originally was to jointly oversee with Emmerich, left the company in August.
Moving forward, all development and production of original feature films for HBO Max will be consolidated under Emmerich and the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, working in conjunction with Casey Bloys on overall platform goals.
Emmerich will have three key people under him – Courtenay Valenti of Warner Bros. Pictures, Richard Brener of New Line and Walter Hamada of DC Films. Each will continue to develop and produce titles for their label that will be distributed either theatrically by the motion pictures group or direct to streaming on HBO Max.
HBO Max’s head of content Sarah Aubrey remains in position, former head of Warner Max Jessie Henderson is leaving the company, and Warner Max’s senior vp Nikki Ramey will segue to New Line where she will report to Brener.
WarnerMax hoped to produce eight to ten mid-budget movies a year but never ramped up fast enough to achieve that goal – yielding only HBO Max original “Unpregnant,” acquiring Seth Rogen comedy “American Pickle,” and is currently in production on Steven Soderbergh’s “No Sudden Move” for HBO Max.