HBO Max will launch on May 27, the company announced on Tuesday along with its first wave of content.

The streaming service will launch with 10,000 hours of content across the WarnerMedia portfolio, including big library titles like Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Big Bang Theory. It’ll also feature current and former HBO shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones and Westworld as well as movies like Crazy Rich Asians, The Wizard of Oz, Joker and all 20 of Studio Ghibli’s animated features.

“Even in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, the all-star teams behind every aspect of HBO Max will deliver a platform and a robust slate of content that is varied, of the highest quality, and second to none,” Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer, said in a statement. “I’m knocked out by the breadth and depth of our new offering, from the Max originals, our Warner Bros library and acquisition titles from around the world, and of course the entirety of HBO.”

Consumers will quickly see that HBO Max is set apart by a foundation of loved brands built over decades but stitched together with a distinctive voice and product experience,” Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max, President, TNT, TBS, and truTV, said in a statement. Our team has meticulously selected a world-class library catalogue and collaborated with top creators across all genres to offer a monthly cadence of original series and movies that we will program and promote for cultural impact.”

Despite COVID-19 halting TV and film productions—like the highly anticipated Friends reunion that was meant to pioneer the service—new original content like the Anna Kendrick-led Love Life, a talk show hosted by Sesame Street’s Elmo and new Looney Tunes cartoons will be available at launch.

WarnerMedia will also steer some movies directly to HBO Max, beginning with On the Record, a documentary about the women who have accused entrepreneur Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. Check out the trailers released on Tuesday:

Love Life

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo

Looney Tunes

Legendary

On the Record

Craftopia

Additional originals set to debut later in the year include the Kaley Cuoco-led thriller The Flight Attendant, new episodes of Doom Patrol and Adventure Time: Distant Lands-BMO, the first of four specials from Cartoon Network’s Emmy-winning franchise.

“It is thrilling to be approaching the launch of HBO Max so we can finally share the first wave of content our teams have been developing in partnership with a group of unparalleled creators,” Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement. “The originals slate available at launch represents a diverse range of unique voices emblematic of the quality and scope of our programming still to come.”

As a standalone service, HBO Max comes in at $14.99/month, the highest price tag among those in the streaming wars: Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Quibi, and Peacock, which had its soft launch last week.

HBO Now subscribers who are billed directly through HBO can upgrade to HBO Max for no additional cost. Certain AT&T customers are eligible for the free upgrade; however, some will receive free trials of various lengths instead.

READ MORE: The Verge


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