Ex-HBO Chief Plepler Has Discussed Launching Studio

Less than a year after leaving WarnerMedia, former HBO CEO Richard Plepler appears to be getting back in the entertainment business. Plepler has told industry associates over the past several weeks that he is looking to start his own production studio, tentatively called Eden Productions, according to people who have spoken to him. 

Plepler was a top executive at HBO for a dozen years, including as CEO from 2013 to earlier this year, a period during which the premium channel aired a string of high-profile shows, including “Game of Thrones,” “Girls” and “Veep.” He left HBO earlier this year as AT&T, which acquired HBO’s former parent Time Warner, moved to exert more control of the company’s management. A person familiar with Plepler’s thinking at the time told The Information that he was leaving because he missed the autonomy he had before the acquisition.