Exclusive: Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, And Titans Likely Canceled
According to our trusted and proven sources, Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Titans are all up next on the chopping block.
This article is more than 2 years old
The recent, abrupt shelving of the Lesley Grace Batgirl movie (and to a lesser extent, Scooby-Doo) has raised a number of worries about what might happen with the other HBO Max original content that is currently being produced, and for good reason. It appears that HBO Max (under the supervision of new Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav) is determined to slash, burn, and cancel whatever programming is necessary to maximize profits. According to our trusted and proven sources, the acclaimed DC shows Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Titans are all up next on the chopping block and will likely be canceled soon.
Warner Bros Discovery has actually been on a cancelation spree for a little longer than is immediately apparent. While Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Titans all have devoted fan bases and critical acclaim, lesser-known projects were quietly axed in recent months, including the announced Wonder Twins project, Ridley Scott’s science fiction series Raised by Wolves, and Made for Love. On the CW side of things, pretty much the entire Arrowverse has been canceled, including flagship show The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Naomi, and Batwoman. TNT and TBS programming has also been cut back, including the sitcom Chad, literally as the second season premiere aired. In this environment, things don’t look good for the likes of Harley Quinn and Doom Patrol.
The reason behind the huge number of programs and films being canceled, including Harley Quinn and Doom Patrol in all likelihood, has to do with the future of HBO Max itself. It is being heavily rumored that Warner Bros Discovery plans to shut down the streaming platform entirely and launch a new service under direct Warner Bros branding. Apparently, the final decision on this will largely be based on whether HBO or Warner Bros has stronger brand loyalty. It would probably be a good idea for David Zaslav to consider whether current subscribers to HBO Max will be willing to transition over to a new platform that has just canceled most of the programming that brought them there in the first place. It is especially worth questioning whether subscribers will transition after they already had to do so when HBO Now and HBO Go were folded into HBO Max, along with the DC Universe platform.
The decisions being made at Warner Bros Discovery are not just affecting shows like HarleyQuinn, Doom Patrol, and Titans as produced content. Upon becoming CEO of the newly formed Warner Bros Discovery, David Zaslav promised that company would immediately produce $3 billion dollars in savings. Obviously, canceling scripted content production has been a big part of that, but a number of (almost exclusively) former WarnerMedia executives were fired and HBO Max employees laid off. The company is expected lay off thousands more workers in the next quarter, as part of the new Zaslav plan to save money by not producing any programming of note. For now, hold tight onto the shows you love, because you might not have long to be able to.
