HBO Max and Warner Bros. Discovery's talent development arm, WBD Access, have selected 12 European screenwriters for this year's Script Engine Program, a four-month scheme designed to help writers develop original, locally-rooted series concepts. The initiative underlines HBO Max's growing focus on European storytelling as the streamer seeks distinctive local voices with international appeal, following its completed European rollout across major markets including Germany, France, Italy and the UK.

Veteran producer Frank Spotnitz, known for The X-Files and The Man in the High Castle, will lead and mentor the programme, which was developed with the Series Mania Institute and includes workshops, masterclasses and networking sessions with HBO Max executives. The 12 participants, drawn from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, will pitch their projects to HBO Max executives in November. The scheme reflects a broader restructuring at HBO Max under original programming head Sarah Aubrey, who now oversees both US and international content teams together.