The final season of Emmy-darling sitcom “Veep” will premiere in Spring 2019, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said Wednesday at the Television Critics Association press tour.
Production is planned to begin in October, he added, and the writers are already hard at work. The start to the farewell season was delayed to allow time for star Julia Louis-Dreyfus to recuperate after undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
“They just started — the writers just got together,” Bloys said this morning. “We’ll be shooting in the fall and will be airing in the spring sometime.”
Bloys had plenty to talk about during his executive session. In other big series return-date news, Bloys informed the room full of TV critics that “Game of Thrones” would be coming back for its own final season in the first half of 2019.
He was also asked to address the sexual misconduct accusations against James Franco, who stars in HBO’s “The Deuce.”
“When the Franco issue came up, we talked internally,” Bloys told reporters. “We read the LA Times article … We talked to the executive producers, to Maggie [Gyllenhaal], the actors and actresses on the set. We all felt comfortable moving forward with second season.”
Bloys also gave the official nod to HBO’s “Deadwood” movie, saying production will start in October for a Spring ’19 premiere.
Finally, Bloys was asked about that AT&T town hall, when WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said HBO needs to get “bigger and broader.”
“There are no plans to dilute the HBO brand in favor of volume of programming,” Bloys promised the Beverly Hilton press conference attendees. “Nobody is asking to us to take pitches of a ‘Love Boat’ reboot or anything like that.”
Party Report: Amy Adams, Gillian Flynn and HBO Celebrate the Premiere of 'Sharp Objects' (Photos)
Before Sunday night's premiere, HBO and the "Sharp Objects" creative ensemble celebrated the television adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel at the ArcLight Hollywood and at an afterparty at Boulevard3 on Sunset. Pictured here: executive producer/author Gillian Flynn, Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson and executive producer/creator Marti Noxon.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images
"Power" executive producer 50 Cent knows that a new season of the Starz show means it's time to party "like it's your birthday." The celebration in New York on Thursday night included a choir, fog machine and the G-Unit main man entertaining the guests.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Starz Entertainment LLC
At the afterparty, 50 Cent huddled with creator and fellow- executive producer Courtney A. Kemp.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Starz Entertainment LLC
It was a 104 degrees at 10:15 p.m. when Vance Joy's headlining show at the Greek ended on Friday night, but that didn't stop the Aussie's L.A. fans from selling out the show and turning up early and loud. "This is by a fair way, our biggest headline show ever here," he said and thanked the crowd for "braving this incredible heat." In a few different configurations, Vance ran through most of the new "Nation of Two" album during an 85-minute set.
Courtesy of Instagram/TheGreekTheatre; and Instagram/BradCauchy
Republic artist Mondo Cozmo (left, with Craig Adams) opened, playing his number one "Shine" and thanking the crowd for coming out "early" on the hot Friday night. "We’re playing the freakin Greek tonight. Insanity," he wrote on Instagram earlier in the day. "In 1.5 years we went from the Hotel Cafe to the Troubadour to the El Rey to The Greek. What a beautiful mountain to have climbed. Thank you @vancejoy for helping us get there."
Instagram/CraigAdamsMusique
Veteran actor Tim Matheson, "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan and "Game of Thrones" producer Carolyn Strauss gathered at the Paley Center to lead CNN's celebration of its new recent-history series, "The 2000s." Because the series focuses on the rise of the contemporary golden age of TV, these TV big shots were appropriate guests. Fun fact: Tom Hanks produces the series.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
"Downton Abbey" belongs in the conversation of the current golden age. Here, the former "Mrs. Patmore" (Lesley Nicol) hugs BAFTA L.A. CEO Chantal Rickards at the group's Student Film Awards. The trophy handout took place at the Ace Hotel downtown on June 29.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BAFTA L.A.
Music fans and Bally recently celebrated 30 years of seminal rap artist Slick Rick. Beverly Hills is traditionally a snoozefest on Saturday nights, but not on June 23, when hip-hop pioneers gathered in the 90210. Pictured here with the guest of honor are Mandy Aragones and En Vogue's Terry Ellis.
LL Cool J was in the building, here greeting "Love & Hip Hop" executive producer Maricarmen Lopez. (Before his now formidable TV career, LL was the youngster in hip-hop's founding generation and a Slick Rick peer.)
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
Snoop Dogg came to DJ, spinning Slick Rick classics "La Di Da Di (We like to Party)" and "Mona Lisa." It's a long but refreshing leap to have the Bronx on Rodeo Drive.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
Giorgio's -- the understated Saturday night party for in-the-know industry figures who wouldn't be anywhere else on a Saturday night on the Sunset Strip -- celebrated its five year anniversary. Here, founders Adam Bravin (aka DJ Adam 12) and Bryan Rabin are at the decks.
Giorgios
For the anniversary party, the crowd spilled out of its usual confines of the club at the Standard to colonize the pool deck. The Party Report salutes what many of the '90s' and '00s' "scene" regard as the L.A.'s last cool nightlife brand for friends-of-friends only. (Photos rarely emerge from this crowd that appreciates the phone-free era of nightlife.)
Celebrants included (from left): Stylist Elizabeth Stewart, fashion expert George Kotsiopoulos, Rabin, designer Brian Wolk, stylist Yana Kamps and designer Claude Morais.
Giorgios
The pet-friendly Standard took it one step further, welcoming music producer Nick Launay and his pet to the festivities.
Giorgios
The Party Report never sees industry types dance at parties. Giorgio's is the exception. The party is named for electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder (the "Scarface" and "Midnight Express" soundtracks, and Donna Summer's hits "Hot Stuff" and "On the Radio").
Giorgios
Bravin behind the decks with writer Jason Sugars.
Giorgios
A few blocks west on Sunset at the new Jeremy Hotel, "The Arrangement's" Josh Henderson (right) made the scene at Karma International's "The Creux Automatiq Affair."
Jaime King came to celebrate pal Lucy Hale's cover of Haute Living at the new Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the hotel anchoring the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica that has opened up the party palette on Golden Globes night.
John Sciulli / Getty Images for Haute Living
ICM Partners client Jeremy O. Harris, vintner Jim Obergefell, "Queer Eye's" Karamo Brown and ICM Politics' Caroline Edwards attended ICM’s Pride Month event.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Ketel One Family-Made Vodka
Atlantic City got a taste of Vegas with Kaskade spinning at the opening of the Ocean Resort Casino. Shanina Shaik and Heidi Klum flanked the producer at the pool party in the space that was formerly known as the Revel Casino Hotel earlier this decade.
Getty Images for Ocean Resort Casino
Niall Horan and pro golfer Justin Rose teamed up for a co-branded "Horan and Rose" golf outing and gala benefit in Watford, England, raising money for cancer research for kids and teens in the UK. That night, Horan performed hit "Slow Hands" with fellow "X Factor" alum Olly Murs after they chipped in $85,000 to win a trip to South Africa that they said they'll take together.
Getty Images
For more from the party scene, including TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in New York, click here:
Inside and backstage the top industry bashes of the week with The Party Report’s Mikey Glazer
Before Sunday night's premiere, HBO and the "Sharp Objects" creative ensemble celebrated the television adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel at the ArcLight Hollywood and at an afterparty at Boulevard3 on Sunset. Pictured here: executive producer/author Gillian Flynn, Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson and executive producer/creator Marti Noxon.