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HBO Max Orders Second Season of Ridley Scott’s ‘Raised by Wolves’

Sci-fi thriller, centered on two androids raising human children as atheists on mysterious planet, ranks as the streamer’s highest performing Max original since the platform’s debut.

After debuting as the #1 performing Max original since the platform’s launch, famed filmmaker Ridley Scott’s serialized sci-fi thriller, Raised by Wolves, has been renewed for a second season by HBO Max.  The series, which debuted September 3 with three episodes, has continued to perform in its second week on the platform, growing its audience by nearly 50% week over week.

Raised by Wolves centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet, Kepler 22-b. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.  Scott serves as an executive producer on the series and directed the first two episodes, marking his television series directorial debut for American audiences. The series was created by Aaron Guzikowski, acclaimed writer and visionary behind the highly praised, Prisoners.

According to Scott, “Being a dyed-in-the-wool advertising man, I was knocked out by the extraordinary campaign done by HBO Max marketing, which conveyed the ambitious storyline in such a provocative and tactile manner, and deftly positioned our first season of Raised by Wolves as a ‘must watch’ show.  It must have been a notable challenge to selectively plumb the riches In Aaron’s storylines. We were even happier that audiences have responded so enthusiastically. We are already deep into the ‘layers’ of Season 2, as Aaron has begun to shape what we think will be another brilliant season to inspire the imagination.”

“When I think of Raised by Wolves, I think of artistry; artistry in crafting a compelling storyline, artistry in the out-of-this-world production design, special effects and cinematography, artistry in our actor’s portrayals of these memorable characters, and artistry attached to the legendary work of Ridley Scott, Aaron Guzikowski and our phenomenal crew,” added Sarah Aubrey, head of HBO Max. “This chart-topping series beautifully weaves together Ridley’s hallmarks of sci-fi and horror while offering fans one of the most original storylines they’ve seen in some time.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Season 2.”

The cast includes Amanda Collin (A Conspiracy of FaithA Horrible Woman), Abubakar Salim (FortitudeJamestown), Winta McGrath (AloftRed Dog: True Blue), Niamh Algar (The VirtuesCalm With Horses), Jordan Loughran (The InfiltratorEmerald City), Matias Varela (NarcosPoint Break), Felix Jamieson (Game of ThronesThe Ghost), Ethan Hazzard (The Long SongDamned), Aasiya Shah (Call the MidwifeUnforgotten), Ivy Wong (Star Wars: Rogue OneMaleficent 2) and Travis Fimmel (Vikings).

The extensive visual effects work, supervised by production VFX supervisor Raymond McIntyre, is extremely well done, handled by Barnstorm, BUF, Cosa, CVD / Crafty Apes, Exceptional Minds, Mind & Machine, Mr X, Pixel Magic, Pixomondo, Shad, Spin VFX, UPP, and Visionary FX Studios.

The series is produced by Scott's Scott Free Productions, with Scott, writer and creator Guzikowski, David W. Zucker (The Man in the High Castle), Jordan Sheehan (The Terror), Adam Kolbrenner (Prisoners) and Mark Huffam (The Martian) serving as executive producers.

Source: HBO Max

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Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.