Harry Potter and Welcome to Derry are also no longer HBO Max Originals

Don't expect many big-budget original scripts heading to HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery is changing its strategy when it comes to big-budget series, moving titles like the upcoming Harry Potter series and It prequel series Welcome to Derry from the streamer to its linear network HBO.



The Green Lantern series Lanterns is also part of this strategy shift after receiving a series order from HBO earlier today.

It is not clear whether The Penguin, which is released in September, or Dune: Prophecy will also move to HBO. Sources said these are yet to be decided.

It's understood that Harry Potter and Welcome to Derry will hit HBO Max after their linear debut, but the move doesn't convey confidence in original scripts for the David Zaslav-run company.

At the launch of the rebranded Max service in April 2023, where it confirmed series such as Harry Potter, Zaslav declared, “This is a real moment for us … This is our time. This is our chance, and everything is possible,” he said. “I feel like, for our company, this is our rendezvous with destiny.”

After shutting down its unscripted division in 2022, it appears HBO Max won't be the original home for big-budget scripted series in the future either.