All the way back in 2018, news broke that Demimonde, a sci-fi series from J.J. Abrams had landed a straight-to-series order at HBO. Now, with the series still in pre-production, it seems a new obstacle has hindered the show. According to reports, the issue comes from a disagreement in the show’s budget between Warner Bros. and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot.
The series, which recently announced its first cast member in Station Eleven’s Danielle Deadwyler, will be Abrams’ first solo creation since Alias, as he intends to serve as the sole writer and director. The series will follow Deadwyler as a woman on a mission to reunite with her family after a science accident strands them in another world.
The dispute with the budget comes in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger as the company is said to be evaluating all its assets, looking to cut down its spending by three billion dollars. Warner Bros. Discovery wants to lower Demimonde’s reported proposed budget that lands in the mid-200 million range, however, Bad Robot is standing firm on that number.
Abrams’ Bad Robot has had a long relationship with Warner Bros. as the television side of the production banner has had an exclusive deal with the company since 2006. In 2019, Bad Robot entered a new agreement in with Warner Bros for films, television, games, and digital content. That mega-deal was estimated to be valued at around $250 million. The contents of that deal are another thing Warner Bros. Discovery is reported to be looking to negotiate on in their quest to cut spending.
However, while Demimonde may be in trouble, fans of Abrams might not have too much to worry about. It is being reported that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is still committed to staying in business with Abrams and Bad Robot. Bad Robot has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Warner Bros. In recent years, Bad Robot has worked with the Television side of Warner Bros. to create such hits series as Westworld, Castle Rock, and Lovecraft Country. With plans for more collaborations on series like My Glory Was I Had Such Friends and Presumed Innocent for AppleTV+ and Duster and a new Batman animated series for HBO Max. It is also said that since the merger Zaslav has been in “regular communication” with Abrams and the pair have a good relationship.
With no official word from either the Bad Robot or Warner Bros. Discovery side, it is hard to say how the dispute will shake out. Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on this story.