ALL EIGHT POTTER FILMS SET FOR HBO MAX: All eight Harry Potter flicks are available for streaming on HBO Max, which launched Wednesday in the U.S. In all, the eight films released between 2011-2011 generated $7.7 billion for Warner Bros. HBO Max offers about 10,000 hours of film and TV programming, including originals and library titles. In the first three years, WarnerMedia says it will pour $4 billion into content for HBO Max, much of which was used to secure streaming rights for Friends and South Park.
ERROL MORRIS SETS TIMOTHY LEARY DOC: Showtime Documentary Films has picked up a feature doc from the Oscar-winning Errol Morris about Timothy Leary, the LSD guru. The project will follow Leary, who became an FBI narc in the 1970s. “This is a dream project. I’m always looking for alternative ways into a story. You never want to go through the front door. Or even the back door. Much better to find an attic window that has been left ajar. Joanna Harcourt-Smith, who had a love affair with Timothy Leary, wrote a book detailing how they met, how they fell in love, how they took drugs together, how he ended up in prison,” Morris said in a statement.
ABC VOWS TO FIGHT SEXUAL HARASSMENT SUIT: The director of photography for Disney and ABC-CBS‘ joint production of Criminal Minds “engaged in sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation against persons working on the set of the show, including without limitation, production crew members,” according to a filing from the state agency in Los Angeles Superior Court against the long-accused director of photography. Gregory St. Johns‘ “conduct was rampant, frequent, and in the open,” according to the filing. The Disney-owned ABC Studios tells Deadline that “The Company works hard to maintain a work environment free from discrimination, harassment, or retaliation,” adding that “In this instance the Company took corrective action. We cooperated with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing during its investigation, and we regret that we were unable to reach a reasonable resolution with the Department. We now intend to defend the asserted claims vigorously.”
MOBILE GAMING SKYROCKETS: During the coronavirus pandemic, mobile gaming is skyrocketing. According to data and analytics provider App Annie, weekly mobile gaming downloads hit a new world record of 1.2 billion. Downloads went up 30% in April, and 35% in March, according to the report.
