HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys believes AI has no place in his brand’s creative process.
“There are two things I want you to keep in mind when I say this. One, remember that I grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, or Steeltown,” said HBO and Max Content chairman and chief executive. CEO Bloys said. variety Co-editor Cynthia Lyttelton at a keynote address at Variety TV’s FYC Fest on Wednesday. “So I know very well what happens when companies don’t think about the future, or don’t know the future. but we’ve never tested a pilot to decide whether to go with it or not, it doesn’t take advantage of everything other places are doing, it’s just not what we do. , my take on AI, the idea of it being involved in the development and creative process of shows like what I’m doing at HBO, is not something I want to be a part of.
“I hope I don’t sound like a steel executive from the ’70s, if it’s going to be anything, but I don’t get it,” he continued. “If so, I pray to God I will be retired by that point.”
Bloys’ comments came amid the ongoing strike of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which was announced by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) after his contract expired on May 1. This is the result of the failure to reach agreement with A key issue on which the two disagree is the use of AI in the writing process.
Bloys said people pestered him and HBO about pivoting to short-form scripted content, saying things were headed there, but he fought back. “I think I was right about that, and I think I’m right about this.”
“Succession,” one of Bloys’ and HBO’s most valuable pieces of feature-scripted content, ended May 28 following the decision of creator Jesse Armstrong. Bloys, an executive who has always focused on creatives, said Armstrong had only one thing to think about when he told the HBO chief he wanted Roy’s family drama to end with season four.
“The only advice I’ve given Jesse is, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it.’ Think about it, because we have a great cast. Lightning, so make sure it’s really, really time to leave,” said Mr Bloys. “I knew Jesse was an incredibly thoughtful writer, and he would naturally go through the ‘Can you see anything here?’ process.” mosquito? Either way, we knew we would end up in the right place in the end. I know he was coming and going, but I think he wanted to leave nothing on the table. But I believe he felt full enough that it was the right thing to do. ”
And when Bloys saw the final episode for the first time, his suspicions were confirmed: “This was the only way to end Succession.”
“For me, it was the perfect ending,” Bloys said. “If you’re following the creator’s instructions, this is probably the place to be.”
(Bloys maintains that there was no “winner” in “Succession,” but that if there was a winner, it was J. Smith-Cameron’s Jerry Kellman, the “most capable” choice. shared.)
If Armstrong decides to return to Roy’s world for a sequel or spin-off series, Bloys will likely be on hand to continue the “succession” story, but he’s not holding back.
“If Jesse says, ‘We have to do a Tom and Greg spin-off,’ then I have to do it. I have to do it because I get creative.” Following his lead, I would say great,” Bloys said. “But I think it was the right decision because there are some shows that naturally guide themselves, like ‘House of the Dragon’ coming out of ‘Game of Thrones. ”George [R.R. Martin]The universe is so huge, it spans hundreds of years, there are many families, there are battles, civil wars, everything. That would be more logically suited for a spin-off or re-challenge. This is obviously fun to think of in combination. But if Jesse doesn’t feel it, I’m not going down that road. ”
Acquiring a Sunday 9 p.m. prime “Succession” slot on HBO (also streaming on Max at the same time) are Lily-Rose Depp and Abel the Weeknd Tesfaye (“Euphoria”). (Mastermind Sam Levinson) The show was controversial even before it premiered, with reshoots and reports of harmful behavior by Levinson — a blatant moment depicted in the first episode further fueled the flames. It was just provoking.
Mr. Bloys is ready to accept this response, and he’s embracing it from the standpoint of a creative executive.
“Of course, we knew it would be controversial,” says Bloys. “I wasn’t necessarily looking at the reviews for the show, but it did what I thought it was going to do and it made headlines. It’s been on the air for three or four days. New York.” There was an op-ed in the Times, the New York Times about the return of erotic thrillers, the Wall Street Journal about the return of rat tails… We want the show to be part of the conversation, we want it to provoke, maybe it’s not RatTale’s stuff, but it does what we expected it to do and thought it would work. .”
