J.J. Abrams Sci-Fi Series ‘Demimonde’ Axed by HBO

J.J. Abrams attends the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

J.J. Abrams‘ sci-fi epic Demimonde will no longer be moving forward at HBO due to disputes over the show’s budget.

According to Deadline, the network and Warner Bros. Television had been trying to cut costs on the project, leading to multiple discussions with Abrams and his Bad Robot production company. However, Bad Robot would not move on their proposed budget, estimated to be over $200 million, and so HBO has decided to drop the series.

Demimonde was given a straight-to-series order four years ago following a bidding war with Apple. Written, executive produced, and directed by Abrams, the show was to star Danielle Deadwyler as Olive Reed, who is forced to solve a conspiracy after she is ripped away from her husband and daughter in a brutal scientific accident.

The series was still in the early pre-production stages when HBO backed out. Warner Bros. Television will now shop the project to streamers, including Apple and Netflix, where Abrams has other shows in development.

Abrams signed a $250 million five-year deal with WarnerMedia in 2019 to develop several TV and film projects for the media conglomerate. However, the recent Warner Bros. Discovery merger has seen the new CEO David Zaslav taking a deeper look at the studio’s overall deals. Zaslav has been tasked with trimming $3 billion, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he has been unhappy with the lack of output from Abrams and Bad Robot.

There are several Bad Robot projects in development for Warner Brothers. Discovery, including a Batman animated series, the Josh Holloway-starring drama Duster, and a Justice League Dark series featuring Constantine. None of these projects have a scheduled delivery date. Abrams, whose deal with WBD is not exclusive, is also working on a new Star Trek movie for rival studio Paramount Global.