HBO Max Picks 12 European Writers for Script Engine Program
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.
In short
- HBO Max names 12 European writers for its Script Engine programme
- Frank Spotnitz leads four-month scheme; pitches due in November
- Writers hail from France, Germany, Italy and Spain
Explained simply
HBO Max is a subscription streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a company that also makes films and television programmes. It has expanded across Europe and commissions stories made in different countries for local audiences, some of which may also reach viewers elsewhere.
WBD Access is the company’s talent development arm, which supports people working to enter or progress in the screen industries. The Script Engine scheme brings together writers from France, Germany, Italy and Spain to develop original series ideas, with producer Frank Spotnitz and the Series Mania Institute involved in the training.
The programme sits within HBO Max’s wider effort to develop its original programming across countries. Its participants will present their ideas to the company’s executives, who decide which projects, if any, move forward.