J.J. Abrams will produce new shows and movies for Warner Bros and HBO Max – CNET

WarnerMedia has announced a deal for Bad Robot to produce a swathe of new content across TV, movies, games and digital platforms through 2024. Bad Robot co-CEOs J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, will develop dramas, comedies and long-form and event series for all WarnerMedia’s platforms including the upcoming HBO Max streaming service and its broadcast and cable networks. They’ll also work on original films for Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema.

Bad Robot has previously produced Westworld, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Alias and Castle Rock. The deal is pegged at being worth around $250 million, a report by Hollywood Reporter said Thursday — more than the $500 million rumored in June.

WarnerMedia noted the deal won’t affect Abrams’ existing deal to direct and produce Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with Paramount Pictures.

“I am grateful for the chance to write, produce and direct work for this incredible company and to help create films and series,” Abrams said. “We can’t wait to get started.”

Bad Robot Games will also create “new large and indie consumer games” across PC, console and mobile platforms in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Tencent.

“J.J., Katie and all of Bad Robot bring extraordinary vision, exquisite filmmaking, and exemplary industry leadership to this endeavor and our company,” WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said.

The WarnerMedia deal comes despite J.J. Abrams in April signing on with Apple TV Plus to produce a third show for the service, Stephen King’s Lisey’s Store.

WarnerMedia’s HBO Max is set to launch in spring 2020 and will include content like Doctor Who, Friends, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Veep, the Gossip Girl sequel and Sesame Street, and movies including Wonder Woman and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Also coming to HBO Max are Shows from The CW network like Pretty Little Liars, Batwoman and Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene, as The CW winds down its streaming deal with Netflix.

HBO Max is rumored to launch with a starting cost of $14.99 a month, the same as a current HBO subscription, NBC News reported in September.