HBO has decided not to move forward with Demimonde, the second series the premium cable network company has passed on from J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. So now, the series won’t air on HBO or HBO Max.
THR reports HBO passed due to issues over the show’s $200-million-plus budget despite a final plea from Abrams to HBO/HBO Max boss Casey Bloys.
The series, which stars Danielle Deadwyler, will now be shopped to other streamers, including Netflix and Apple TV+. Demimonde landed at HBO in 2018 after a bidding war with Apple.
HBO’s axing of the series follows Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s review of all of the studio’s overall deals. THR reports Zaslav has been dissatisfied with the lack of productivity of Abrams and his Bad Robot banner’s $250 million overall pact struck in 2019. The CEO is tasked with cutting $3 billion from the newly merged company.
The lack of content delivery to HBO and HBO Max has created issues for the network and streamer, making it difficult to manage marketing spending, according to THR.
Last year, HBO/HBO Max also passed on Abrams’ Overlook, a spinoff of The Shining.