The latest news on streaming platform HBO Max has seriously peeved a lot of big name talent.
In case you missed it last week, HBO Max will be the home to Warner Bros. movies for 2021.
Warners will be distributing their films on the streamer on the same date as their release in cinemas.
The news is devastating for cinemas, who have already taken a huge hit in 2020.
Titles including 'Dune', 'In the Heights', 'The Suicide Squad', 'Tom and Jerry', 'Godzilla vs Kong', 'The Many Saints of Newark', and 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' have been affected.
Christopher Nolan is one of many who have clapped back at the studio's decision.
In a statement to THR, Nolan said: "Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service.
"Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing.
"Their decision makes no economic sense, and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction."
To ET Online, Nolan said he was in "disbelief" and described the situation as "very, very, very messy."
He added: "There's such controversy around it, because they didn't tell anyone. In 2021, they've got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they've got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences.
"They're meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences... And now they're being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service -- for the fledgling streaming service -- without any consultation."
Warner Bros. film studio chairman Toby Emmerich reportedly "tried to soothe 'In the Heights' director Jon M. Chu by pointing out that the movie was still getting a “global theatrical release.”"
A top talent agent commented: "Warners has made a grave mistake.
"Never have this many people been this upset with one entity."
Another added: "Warners was the quintessentially talent-friendly, filmmaker-friendly studio.
"Now Warners isn’t the first place, second place or third place you want to go."
'The Suicide Squad' director James Gunn was also "not pleased". The studio followed its announcement with a "lackluster formula for compensating him and other profit participants in the film."
Representatives for major Warner Bros. stars like Denzel Washington, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Hugh Jackman and Angelina Jolie are also seeking compensation for their talent, according to the NY Times, after not receiving the same treatment from Warners as Gal Gadot and Paty Jenkins.
Another report via Deadline has it that Legendary Entertainment "either has or will send legal letters to Warner Bros as soon as today, challenging the decision to put the Denis Villenueve-directed 'Dune' into the HBO Max deal, and maybe 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' as well."
The first project that will roll out as part of the Warner Bros.-HBO Max plan is 'Wonder Woman 1984' on Christmas Day. We get it here in Irish cinemas on December 16th.
Currently HBO Max is only available in the USA. But plans are in place to launch in Europe and Latin America in the near future.