HBO Max Gets ‘Fired Up!’ With Taiwanese, Filipino and Indonesian Originals Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

Warner Bros. Discovery will launch five new Asian original series on HBO Max this summer, featuring content from Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. These titles are scheduled to premiere between late July and late August. The Taiwanese offerings include two HBO Originals directed by Kao Pin-chuan. One of these is "Fired Up!", a 12-episode coming-of-age drama adapted from a novel. The second Taiwanese HBO Original, also directed by Kao Pin-chuan, is "Wave Makers", a political drama that follows a campaign manager and her team during an election cycle. The series stars Taiwanese actors like Alice Ko and Kaiser Chuang. "Wave Makers" is notable for being the first Taiwanese political drama produced by HBO Asia. Additionally, HBO Max will feature two Filipino series: "Sleep with Me" and "Love Bites". "Sleep with Me" is a romantic comedy series created by the filmmaking duo of Jade Castro and Bobby Bonifacio Jr. "Love Bites" is an anthology series with episodes directed by various filmmakers, including Mikhail Red, JP Habac, and Perci Intalan. The Indonesian contribution to the slate is "Gadis Kretek", a period drama based on a popular novel by Ratih Kumala. This series is directed by Kamila Andini and features Indonesian actors Dian Sastrowardoyo and Ario Bayu. The inclusion of these diverse Asian originals signifies HBO Max's strategy to expand its international content offerings and cater to a global audience.