Amidst swirling rumors of a potential sale for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys publicly addressed concerns about the company's future and his own position for the first time at a programming preview event held in New York's Hudson Yards. During the event, Bloys also provided an update on the highly anticipated "Harry Potter" live-action series.
The event coincided with the date WBD was reportedly set to receive potential acquisition bids. Despite the widespread speculation, Bloys began with a lighthearted remark but spoke with clear conviction during the Q&A, asserting he wasn't concerned about his future or the HBO brand's stability. He stated that in the face of acquisition uncertainty, the most crucial task for his team was to "focus on the business at hand."
"I told my staff at a town hall a few weeks ago that the only thing we can do is make the best shows. All the speculation is a waste of energy because nobody knows how it's going to go," Bloys recounted. He noted that even if an acquisition were to materialize, the entire process could take a year or even 18 months, but this wasn't something HBO needed to worry about currently. He emphasized that the brand value and content quality, meticulously built by the team over many years, would remain their strongest foundation.
Another major focus of external attention is the "Harry Potter" live-action series currently in production at HBO. Bloys confirmed that the first season is filming in the UK, and the writing team has already begun work on the second season's script. This indicates that Warner Bros. Discovery, despite facing an uncertain climate, is fully committed to pushing the series forward as a core property.
"The first season is still shooting, and the second season is being written," Bloys stated. He explained that due to the series' massive scale and heavy VFX requirements, there would inevitably be breaks between seasons, but the production team would strive to avoid multi-year gaps. "We're doing it not just for the kids' ages, but for the audience, to try and keep that momentum going."
via： Variety