HBO has decided to delay production on two of its most popular series. It has been announced that Barry and Succession will not go into production as planned due to coronavirus concerns.
Barry and Succession were in pre-production after securing season three renewals in 2019. HBO released the following statement acknowledging the delay:
"We are looking forward to resuming preproduction when it is safe and healthy for everyone working on our shows to do so. Where possible, our writers are continuing to write remotely."
The shutdown on Barry & Succession follows the company’s shutdown on all shows further along in the production process earlier in March. The same fate befell The Righteous Gemstones (season 2) which had already begun filming and Euphoria (season 2) which was beginning table reads. Considering that pretty much all of Hollywood has gone dark in the wake of COVID-19, it's not surprising that production on these series has also been put on hold. The writers can continue to work remotely on future scripts which could make the transition easier whenever they're able to hop back into production.
With Game of Thrones and Veep ending their run on HBO, Barry and Succession have emerged as two of their most acclaimed comedy and drama series. Barry, starring Bill Hader & Henry Wrinkler, follows a hitman who moves from the Midwest to Los Angeles that gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene. Succession, led by Brian Cox, follows a dysfunctional American global-media family. Both shows have won their fair share of awards with Bill Hader winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018 and 2019 for Barry and Succession took home the Golden Globe award for Best Drama Series last year.
Do YOU think both shows will be able to get back into production soon?