With Succession wrapped, HBO is turning to its next-gen series for its next big hit — a successor, if you will.
It’s no secret that The Last Of Us, House Of The Dragon, and The White Lotus are all huge hits, and HBO is keen to maintain a steady pace of releases on these projects, but their momentum could be lost by a WGA writers’ strike broken.
Francesca Orsi, top executive producer at HBO, gives some insight into what’s going on behind the studio doors.
Orsi said: “Although everything is a pencil at the moment, I hope we can reach an agreement sooner rather than later.
“Otherwise we will have to assess what the end of the 2024 schedule is and what shows will be delivered in 2025.
“At this point, if this strike goes on for six to nine months, those shows that I’m looking at airing aren’t necessarily ready. So, yeah, that’s a big problem for us, but I think once we go To that road, we will cross that road.
Writing on the new series The Last Of Us and The White Lotus has been halted due to the strike. Additionally, work on Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has also been halted.
Orsi continued: “We’ve been eyeing The Last of Us for a while in 2025, and The White Lotus would ideally like to leave in 2024, but there are some issues with the timing of the strike.
As for Succession writer Jesse Armstrong, Orsi hopes to work with him again in the future: “Maybe there’s sadness in the fact that I haven’t had the chance to build something with him – at least not yet.
“I’m not sure what he’s going to do next, and I’m looking forward to sitting with him after the writers’ strike and seeing what he wants to do.
“He is an original thinker and I have no doubt he will impress us and impress us again with something new at some point.
In any case, according to Orsi, it’s a tough time for the studio and the writers, but it’s not all doom and gloom.
“All I can say is that beyond motherhood, my purpose is nourished by the artistic process, and my relationship with writers inspires and feeds me,” Orsi said.
“So, are we in a sad time? Are we feeling the pressure and the lack of cooperation at the moment? Absolutely.
“Having said that, we received hundreds of scripts ahead of the May 1st strike, so it’s not a quiet period.
“The past few weeks have been bogged down in so much material that I’m working on and finishing. While I’m not in contact with the writers, I’m still working as if this too will pass and I’ll be back with them soon.
