UPDATE: 2023/05/24 13:26
Following justifiably frustrated statements from the DGA and the WGA after Max lumped writers and directors together under a "creators" category in its movie library, the streamer has reversed the bizarre decision, saying in a statement:
"We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake."
After a disastrous first day, which saw their new streaming service Max crash, Warner Bros. Discovery have now found themselves under fire for a particularly egregious move which seems determined to remove all credit from specific members of the creative teams on films and television shows.
Previously, HBO Max – the predecessor to the 'new and improved' service, listed credits pages with specific details about the roles that writers and directors played in the production of shows and features. However, now, the company has decided to lump together the "creators" of each project without giving them due credit for their responsibilities.
Raging Bull and Silence of the Lambs are some of the movies affect by this new curious choice. After the changes to the credits were spotted, many writers, directors and creative members of productions spoke of their disdain and contempt for the decision - having already had to endure the additions of 'skip intro' options for content on the platforms that can often see audiences miss out on the credits entirely.
What Have Writers Been Saying About This Change?
Steven DeKnight, who has been involved with multiple series including Spartacus, Daredevil, Dollhouse and Smallville, described the change as an “absolute master class in how to fuck up a streaming service”, while Nora Zuckerman, the show runner for Peacock's Poker Face, tagged the Writers' Guild of America, along with the Directors and Producers guild to question how it could possibly be seen as acceptable.
The move from Warner Bros. Discovery comes across as particularly tone-deaf given the ongoing events across entertainment as writers are currently striking in a battle to win their fairer share of revenues across the board. This move, which could be seen as attempting to label them as simply "content creators", seems to diminish their contributions and should not be accepted.
It's yet another rocky moment for Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, just two days after he was heckled and booed while attempting to make a commencement speech at Boston University. When attempting to read from his prepared remarks, the students drowned out his words with loud chants of "Pay your writers". Due to how their contracts have remained the same for years, the compensation writers get for their scripts is no longer fair, particularly with the advent of streaming which fails to pay residuals in the same way.
Stay tuned to Collider for more details on the launch of Max, and to see if things manage to get much worse.