In the modern era, studios like HBO have comical mountains of intellectual property at their disposal. Disney has Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but those are only the jewels in their crown. Smaller names like Paramount make do with Sonic the Hedgehog and Yellowstone. HBO, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., has instant access to the DC Comics Universe, the Dune franchise, and a dozen other massive names. Why does it feel like they're using those iconic brands to do things they've already done?