The 9 Unfinished HBO Max Titles Shelved Amid Discovery+ Merger (So Far)

Alison Foreman
·2 min read
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The staggering decision to scrap “Batgirl” leads a growing list of HBO Max titles audiences may never see thanks to the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

On Monday, Deadline broke the news that six more movies and series would not go forward at the streaming service, notably including “Batman: Caped Crusader” from Matt Reeves, who despite the change just cut a multi-year film deal with Warner Bros. (which, yes, will include another Robert Pattinson-starring “The Batman.”)

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The animated DC series is expected to continue production and possibly stream elsewhere, per Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter. But not all of the impacted projects can be so lucky.

“The movie is practically finished and turned out beautifully,” lamented “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt” co-writer Tony Cervone in an Instagram post made when the film’s cancellation was first announced along with “Batgirl” in early August. “I am heartbroken,” he continued.

“Why cancel a 95% finished holiday movie this close to fall?” tweeted co-writer Paul Dini. The animated sequel to the 2020 “Scoob!” (which did remarkably well considering it arrived in theaters at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) was due out in a matter of weeks.

In a later Instagram post, Cervone revealed the “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt” team had gone ahead with recording the film’s score regardless: “So what do you do when the movie is canceled, but you’ve already paid for the stage and the musicians? You record the damn score!”

Director Bill Haller was similarly optimistic, tweeting: “I can’t wait for all the fans to see the amazing performances from this passion project which I know will make you very happy.

Animation has been hit especially hard by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s self-imposed mandate to find $3 billion in synergy savings. Of the nine shelved projects reported thus far, only two are live-action: the aforementioned “Batgirl” and the LeBron James-produced “House Party” remake.

To be updated continuously: Here are all of the movies and TV series shelved — temporarily or permanently — amid the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, so far. For the dozens of completed projects unceremoniously removed from the HBO Max catalog, see IndieWire’s running list including “Infinity Train,” “The Not-Too-Late with Elmo Show,” “Vinyl,” and more.

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