What do you get for a movie studio when it turns 100? Apparently it's not a birthday cake, but a documentary series detailing its history and the impact that it has had on culture at large. That's the case with 100 Years of Warner Bros., a new four-part documentary that is going to stream on HBO Max (soon to be just Max).
Warner Bros. Pictures officially turned on April 4, 1923, and the studio's current iteration has been celebrating all year round. This has included a special segment at the 2023 Oscars, restorations of classic Warner Bros. movies on DVD/Blu-ray and more. But topping them all is this documentary that chronicles Warner Bros. from its founding to how it helped revolutionize movies, with many of the A-list stars and filmmakers who worked them appearing.
Find out more about the documentary below, as we detail just about everything you need to know.
100 Years of Warner Bros. release date
The first two parts of 100 Years of Warner Bros. premiere on Max on Thursday, May 25, a day after they screen at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in France. The last two parts of the documentary then drop on the streaming service on Thursday, June 1.
100 Years of Warner Bros. plot
Here is the official synopsis for 100 Years of Warner Bros., courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery:
"Exploring the impact of Warner Bros. on art, commerce and culture, 100 Years of Warner Bros. tells the unprecedented story of the fabled entertainment studio on its 100th anniversary. Featuring insights and first-person stories from directors, actors, executives, journalists and historians, the four specials trace Warner Bros.' underdog origins — from its founding in the early 1920s by four brothers from an immigrant family, through decades of creative risks and impactful storytelling, to the historic mergers of the 2000s that transformed the company into a global entertainment powerhouse. With narration by Morgan Freeman and clips from iconic films and hit TV series, 100 Years of Warner Bros. offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the indelible stories that have spoken to audiences around the world for generations."
That's the broader overview, here is what each of the four parts of the documentary series is going to explore:
100 Years of Warner Bros. episode 1, "The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of"
"Four brothers set out to build a movie studio from the ground up — while making a giant leap from silent films to 'talkies.' As the Warners stand up to WWII Nazism, personal ambitions lead to family betrayal."
100 Years of Warner Bros. episode 2, "Clint, Kubrick and Kryptonite"
"After a historic sale, Warner Bros. navigates the upheavals of the '60s and '70s. Under a new strategist CEO, the company enters an era of unmatched storytelling with groundbreaking projects."
100 Years of Warner Bros. episode 3, "Heroes, Villains and Friends"
"In the '80s, a new generation helps crown Warner Bros. as a forerunner in Hollywood's blockbuster age. After a historic merger, the company becomes one of the biggest entertainment giants in the world."
100 Years of Warner Bros. episode 4, "Wizarding World and The Big Bang"
"As the millennium brings a new era of business partnerships bookended by mergers, Warner Bros. continues to champion authentic voices while harnessing the latest technologies of the digital age."
100 Years of Warner Bros. director
Behind the camera for 100 Years of Warner Bros. as the director is Leslie Iwerks. An Oscar and Emmy-nominated documentarian, Iwerks has previously done this kind of look behind the curtain at Hollywood/entertainment, having directed The Pixar Story and The Imagineering Story.
Who appears in 100 Years of Warner Bros.?
There is no shortage of star power set to appear in 100 Years of Warner Bros. First off, none other than Morgan Freeman is lending his silky smooth voice as the narrator for the documentary series. In terms of who is set to appear on camera, that list is made up of:
- Kim Basinger
- Candice Bergen
- Linda Blair
- Orlando Bloom
- Quinta Brunson
- LeVar Burton
- Tim Burton
- Lynda Carter
- Jon M. Chu
- George Clooney
- Chris Columbus
- Kevin Costner
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Robert De Niro
- Ernest Dickerson
- Clint Eastwood
- Toby Emmerich
- William Friedkin
- Gal Gadot
- Andy Garcia
- Tony Gilroy
- Ron Howard
- Ke Huy Quan
- Patty Jenkins
- Harvey Keitel
- Linda Lavin
- Chuck Lorre
- Baz Luhrmann
- Leonard Maltin
- Ben Mankiewicz
- Matthew Modine
- Gregory Nava
- Christopher Nolan
- Edward James Olmos
- Gregory Orr
- Jesse Palmer
- Todd Phillips
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Keanu Reeves
- Charles Roven
- Martin Scorsese
- Jacqueline Stewart
- Oliver Stone
- Emma Thomas
- Cass Warner
- John Wells
- Oprah Winfrey
- Constance Wu
- and more
100 Years of Warner Bros. trailer
If all of the above is not enough to pique your interest, then check out the trailer for the documentary series, with clips of classic movies and interviews, and see if that does it.
How to watch 100 Years of Warner Bros.
100 Years of Warner Bros. is going to be streaming exclusively on Max, so you are going to need a subscription to the streaming service in order to watch the documentary series. If you are already a subscriber to HBO Max, no need to worry about the name change, as you’ll automatically get the updated platform. As for new subscribers, it’s pretty much the same deal as before, with ad-supported and ad-free subscription options, just with the addition of more content from Discovery/Discovery Plus brands as well.
