Top image: Still, Good Time, 2017 (dir. Josh and Benny Safdie)

US filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie have signed a two year first-look deal with broadcasting giants HBO that will also see production company A24 executive produce all future projects. The deal is a huge win for HBO, who look set to continue their majestic run of 21st century television (The Wire, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones – need we continue?) by snapping up two of the finest emerging talents on the scene.

After their breakout success with Heaven Knows What in 2014, the Safdie Brothers released Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019) to universal acclaim and box office success. All three share themes that have come to resemble a signature niche for the Brothers: desperate people doing anything to escape their desperate situations. If that sounds bleak it’s because their films generally are, combined with a ratcheting tension that always boils over into disaster. No wonder HBO are keen to get them on board.

The announcement coincides with the launch of HBO’s own streaming service, HBO Max. Going live today, the new subscription platform is looking to muscle its way into an already packed market, and are hoping new deals with the likes of Steven Soderbergh, JJ Abrams, Caley Cuoco, and Melissa Rosenberg will help mark their territory.

Considering the disruption across TV industries worldwide, HBO have done well to deliver 95 percent of the forecast projects. One gaping omission however is the Friends reunion episode, originally scheduled to be delivered in front of a live audience before social distancing measures put things on hold. Unfortunately this service is currently only available to US audiences but with the Safdie Brothers onside it’s only a matter of time until waves are felt across the pond.