A total of six animated series were canceled as Discovery makes new rules
HBO Max has canceled six animated series that were in development, all of which were announced last year during DC Fandome. The shows include Merry Little Batman, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical, Did I Do That to The Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story, and The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie. However, the big shock out of all this was Batman: Caped Crusader being part since lots of fans were looking forward to it.
Why were Batman: Caped Crusader and the other shows canceled?
Canceled shouldn’t be the word to use here, actually. The shows are very much still happening, but they will not be HBO Max exclusives and will appear on other platforms. The reason Batman: Caped Crusader was so anticipated was because it is built on Batman: The Animated Series, where Timm was a co-creator. The 85-episode series continues to have a massive fanbase.
No More Family-Friendly Content
Warner Bros. Discovery is making it clear that they are not going to make shows focusing on kids or family for HBO Max. In fact, they removed shows like Sesame Street and Little Ellen last week. They also laid off many staff members working in the kids and family department, so you know it’s serious. Seeing that Batman: Caped Crusader was also removed, we can guess the show was not that dark.
CEO David Zaslav noticed the change of priorities of WB during the earnings call. This resulted in even the live-action kids and family programs getting canceled, as shown with Gordita Chronicles last month.
Who do you want to pick up Batman: Caped Crusader next?
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