HBO Max is leaning heavily on DC Comics to power the platform’s original lineup, with close to a dozen feature films or episodic shows in the works for the streaming service, but it isn’t all about the relentless mining of superheroes in the name of big budget content.
Greg Berlanti, no stranger to the comic book outfit himself having been integral to the creation and expansion of the Arrowverse before moving onto HBO Max’s Green Lantern series, will executive produce a three-part documentary celebrating 80 years of DC alongside filmmaker Leslie Iwerks.
Iwerks, the granddaughter of Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks who earned an Emmy nomination for The Pixar Story, scored an Academy Award nod for Recycled Life and both created and helmed Disney Plus launch title The Imagineering Story, will co-direct the project with Mark Catalena; so it’s in very safe and supremely accomplished hands.
As per the official statement released by HBO Max, the untitled series will “allow fans to rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium”, meaning that we’ll be diving deep into the company’s rich and storied history.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it’s taken HBO Max this long to give the green light to a DC Comics docuseries, especially when rival service Disney Plus has been more than happy to dive into the archives and vaults for non-fiction projects focused on the Mouse House’s legacy.