Another day, another list of programming that was originally set to arrive on HBO Max but has been prematurely canceled. It’s happening so often, that it’s hard to feign surprise, right? Well, this time the list of cuts includes an animated project that superhero fans had been dying to see— “Batman: Caped Crusader.”
According to Variety, HBO Max is continuing to cut children’s and family programming as the streaming service seemingly moves into a new phase of its existence before it combines with Discovery+ in 2023. This time, it’s not just “Little Ellen” and “Sesame Street” that is on the chopping block. The latest batch of kids shows getting canceled before they even air are “Batman: Caped Crusader,” 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.”
Much like many of the other projects that are getting cut, these were all in the middle of production and were seemingly assured they’d appear on HBO Max. All hope is not lost, however, as Warner Bros. Discovery is said to be shopping these projects around to find a new home for them.
“Batman: Caped Crusader” is the project that brought back Bruce Timm, of “Batman: The Animated Series” fame, back to the world of Batman alongside producers such as Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams. Many saw this as the spiritual successor to ‘Batman: TAS’ and could be the next great entry in the mythos of the Dark Knight. Sadly, if it happens, it won’t be on HBO Max.
As with all the previous cuts, these latest cancellations are mainly due to saving money and a change in direction at HBO Max. There doesn’t seem to be any concern for the people involved and the fact that HBO Max had been hyping these up over the past year or so. This is just a classic example of new management coming in and taking drastic measures to save money and change things up.
Really, it seems as if we’re just in for a lot of cancellations over the next several months until we see exactly what the plan is moving forward. Clearly, the new management at WBD wants HBO Max to trim its offerings and prepare for Discovery+’s merger. And anything animated, with a kid focus, looks to be expendable.