HBO Max Greenlights Peyton List Ghost Romance Special Event, Acquires Henry Winkler’s ‘Hank Zipzer’ & More

Denise Petski
·5 min read
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HBO Max is expanding its kids and family programming slate with B-Loved, a ghostly romance two-part special event starring Peyton List (Cobra Kai), along with three live-action acquisitions, including all three seasons of Hank Zipzer, based on the book written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, inspired by Winkler’s life.

B-Loved (working title), from Endeavor Content and Wonder Worldwide, stars List as Bea, a free-spirited teenage ghost who forms a special friendship with the new boy in town, Cole, whose house she has been inhabiting for over 100 years. With the help of a magical ring that allows Cole to see Bea, they’ll rediscover the meaning of being alive, but also the importance of letting go. Written by Black List Nicholl Fellowship winner, Cesar Vitale, the special will be directed by Emily Ting (Tall Girl 2). It’s scheduled to premiere in time for Valentine’s Day 2023 on HBO Max.

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B-Loved, written by Black List Nicholl Fellowship winner Cesar Vitale, will be directed by Emily Ting (Tall Girl 2). It’s scheduled to premiere in time for Valentine’s Day 2023 on HBO Max.

B-Loved is executive produced by Mark Burton and Aaron Parry, Tracy K. Price, William Andrew, Ryan Malachowsky, and Jill Sanford.

In addition to the Hank Zipzer series, HBO Max has acquired My Babysitter’s a Vampire series for debut in October; and season 8 of the cult favorite teen dance series, The Next Step. Additionally, seasons 5-7 of The Next Step will be available this summer.

Based on the New York Times best-selling book series Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever, and inspired by Winkler’s true-life experiences, all three seasons of Hank Zipzer will debut this Friday, May 13, on HBO Max. Also streaming now is the entire 14-season library of Degrassi: The Next Generation, with the new Degrassi series premiering in 2023.

Details of the acquisitions from HBO Max below:

Hank Zipzer – Based on the New York Times best-selling book series “Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever” co-written by Emmy Award-winner Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, and inspired by Winkler’s true-life experiences, this series follows 12-year-old Hank Zipzer, a smart and resourceful boy with dyslexia. Hank sees himself differently from the way the world sees him, so when problems arise, he deals with them in a way no one else would – putting him on a direct collision course with his teachers – Mr. Love and Miss Adolf – and parents, Rosa and Stan. With the help of his best friends Frankie and Ashley, the young boy with the big heart goes on a multitude of mischievous adventures, but often ends up learning a valuable lesson or two along with way. Hank Zipzer is produced by WildBrain, in association with Walker Productions and Kindle Entertainment. The series stars Nick James (The White Queen) as Hank, Juliet Cowan (Back to Life) as Rosa, Jayden Elijah (Life on Wheels) as Frankie, Neil Fitzmaurice (Brassic) as Stan, Chloe Wong as Ashley (season one), Alicia Lai (Doctors) as Ashley (seasons two and three), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) as Mr. Love, Felicity Montagu (Bridget Jones’s Diary) as Miss Adolf, and Henry Winkler as Mr. Rock.

My Babysitter’s a Vampire – When Ethan Morgan’s (Matthew Knight, The Grudge 2) overprotective parents arrange for a babysitter to watch over him and his 8-year-old sister, he thought he’d die of embarrassment. But no need to worry, embarrassment is now the last thing on a long list of stuff that wants to kill him and his geeky pals Benny (Atticus Mitchell, The Hardy Boys) and Rory (Cameron Kennedy, Life with Boys). Although this babysitter may look like the girl of his dreams, Sarah (Vanessa Morgan, Riverdale) just happens to be half-vampire (a “fledgling” for you experts), dragging Ethan and his buddies into a world of wild supernatural battles against creatures straight out of their nightmares. Now, Ethan not only has to take on demons, ghosts, werewolves, and zombies, he still has to get his homework done and get to school on time. My Babysitter’s a Vampire is produced by Toronto-based Fresh TV and distributed globally by Boat Rocker. The series is currently scheduled to debut on HBO Max in October 2022.

The Next Step – The Next Step follows the highs and lows of an exceptional group of dancers as they learn to bet on themselves, believe in their team, and dance through their challenges on the way to making their dreams come true. Season eight kicks off with a groundbreaking 20-person opening dance, and in the absence of competition, A-Troupe and B-Troupe have settled their differences. Without Nationals on the table, everything seems peaceful at The Next Step, that is until Nick announces that Nationals is back on. This. Changes. Everything. The Next Step stars Briar Nolet (Let It Snow) as Richelle, Julian Lombardi (Paramnesia) as Ozzy, Kolton Stewart (Disenchanted) as Shad, Alexandra Chaves (Good Witch) as Piper, Shelby Bain as Amy, Sage Linder (Riverdale) as Summer, Katie Ortencio (Resolve) as Lily, and Noah Zulfikar (Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2) as Kingston. Season eight of The Next Step is produced by Boat Rocker and distributed globally by Boat Rocker and BBC Studios. Season eight is set to premiere in 2023 on HBO Max. Seasons 5-7 will be available on the streamer this summer.

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