HBO Max vs. HBO Now vs. HBO Go: Your new HBO subscription options, explained
HBO Max is a brand new service arriving May 2020 that will offer both HBO shows and WarnerMedia partner content. Besides offering hits like Game of Thrones, Westworld, and The Sopranos, subscribers will also be privy to such hits as Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and many more. They will also offer a slate of original programming not available on HBO Now, or HBO Go, with some of them becoming available at launch. The cost of the new service is $14.99 per month. HBO Max will be available for pre-existing subscriptions with companies like DirecTV, AT&T, U-verse, YouTube TV, Charter’s Spectrum, Apple TV, Google, and Hulu. The companies that do not have deals in place with WarnerMedia that offer the service include Amazon, Dish, Xfinity, and Comcast. This could change as HBO Max is still attempting to come to terms with these entities, but for right now, they are not on the list yet.
Disney’s Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Now Has an Official Virtual Ride
Even if theme parks were open, there’s no telling when you’d get to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The ride opened earlier this year, and right up until Disneyland and Disney World closed due to covid-19, it was the hottest ticket in the parks, with fans arriving way before opening to secure their spot in line. Plus, let’s face it. Not everyone can just pick up and go to Disney if they want. So lots and lots of people had not yet experienced what’s probably Disney’s most innovative and ambitious ride ever. Though plenty of YouTubers filmed videos in the three months the ride was open, Disney has now released its own virtual ride recreating Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It’s one of the best looks you can find of the ride, especially since it takes a 15-plus minute experience and edits it down to three of the best minutes, spoilers and all. Check it out.
Star Trek Readies Fans for Strange New Worlds
A message loud and clear from Starfleet Command: Give the people what they want. With CBS All Access initiating new Star Trek shows with the frequency of a fertile Tribble, many fans had been left wondering why there was no movement on a series just itching to leave the space dock. On Friday, actors Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn announced via social media that thrusters were on for “a Pike and Spock show” (which will be called Star Trek: Strange New Worlds). After a tumultuous first season, Star Trek: Discovery settled into a nice groove in season two. Having a consistent showrunner helped, as did the steady hand of Mount’s Captain Pike coming in, mixing optimism and humor. Pike, who held the center seat of the USS Enterprise prior to William Shatner’s Captain Kirk, has been a part of the show’s history since the beginning, but has never been the focal point of a series or film. Mount’s portrayal, alongside Peck’s young Spock (step-brother of Discovery lead Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham) and Romijn’s steely “Number One,” were quickly embraced by fans. With regular announcements of new Star Trek programs (Patrick Stewart’s Picard, Section 31 focused on Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Georgiou, two animated series, and more still under wraps) many puzzled over why Trek majordomo Alex Kurtzman wasn’t nurturing Discovery’s already clicking B-story. Turns out the suits were listening.
The CW to Air Swamp Thing Series This Fall, First Poster Revealed
Swamp Thing was a one-and-done on DC Universe, but it will see a re-airing of its sole season on The CW this fall. The CW announced during its media call this week that the James Wan-produced series, which ran for a single season on the DC Universe streaming service, will air on the broadcast network. Swamp Thing had a troubled production period that largely led to its cancellation shortly after its series premiere aired. The show had its episode order reduced from the original plan of 13 episodes to 10, which is rumored to have come because of cost issues. The first season was praised by critics, though the obviously-shortened nature of the conclusion hurt the show creatively. On the call, CW head Mark Pedowitz said (per Bloody Disgusting) that more episodes is not impossible, though he made it clear that is not the current plan. “At the moment, it’s just the one season,” Pedowitz said. “I do not know if it would come back. Obviously that would be a discussion for Warner Bros. and The CW. But at this time, Swamp Thing is just the episodes we have.”
Timothy Olyphant Saddles Up For ‘Mandalorian’ Season 2
Deadline has confirmed that Deadwood and Justified star Timothy Olyphant is joining Season 2 of Disney+’s The Mandalorian. It isn’t clear whether he’ll be playing a new character or a well known one from the extended Star Wars universe. Olyphant joins a slew of new faces in Season 2, which is already in the can, including Rosario Dawson (reportedly Ahsoka Tano), Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan) and Michael Biehn. The Mandalorian Season 2 will return in October.
