The new owners of all things Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are exploring an overhaul of DC Entertainment, multiple sources close to the situation told Variety.
It’s been less than a week since Discovery closed its $43 billion deal for WarnerMedia, joining one of the largest producers of reality programming with one of the most venerable entertainment brands under the new moniker of Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav, the CEO of the combined companies, and top leadership have been toying with the idea of turning DC into its own solidified content vertical, the sources said.
The move would potentially affect DC feature film development in the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, streaming series at Warner Bros. Television, and the creative arm within DC proper — all in an effort to have the disparate elements more closely aligned in order to maximize the value of the superhero stable — one often seen as punching up against Marvel.
Before the merger closed, Zaslav vetted candidates with experience in creating and nurturing blockbuster intellectual property with a goal of potentially finding someone to serve as a creative and strategic czar similar to what Marvel has in Kevin Feige. One of those candidates included Emma Watts, a former top film executive at 20th Century Studios and Paramount, but it does not appear that Watts will take the job. One insider suggested that Zaslav was less interested in finding a creative guru and more eager to hire someone who had the type of business background needed to keep all the different factions at DC working more harmoniously.
Insiders say that Zaslav believes that the success of the merger, one that has left the company highly leveraged, will rest in no small part on unlocking the full potential of the DC Comics universe of characters. Discovery insiders believe that although DC has achieved cinematic success with recent films such as “Aquaman” and “The Batman,” it lacks a coherent creative and brand strategy. Discovery believes that several top-shelf characters such as Superman have been left to languish and need to be revitalized. They also believe that projects like Todd Phillips’ “The Joker” are a shining example of how second-billed characters from the DC library can and should be exploited (Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was another opportunity, though “Birds of Prey” missed the mark).
DC has started to figure out ways for its big screen films to inspire more streaming content — recent examples include the HBO Max show “The Peacemaker,” which was a spinoff of “The Suicide Squad,” as well as an upcoming planned series on Colin Farrell’s The Penguin and Gotham City’s police force. But the company believes that DC must do more to grow its approach to comic book fare, including bolstering gaming. Under Walter Hamada, who took over DC Films from Jon Berg and Geoff Johns in 2018, the unit has achieved more consistency in terms of both the critical and commercial reception to the company’s movies. He is under contract until the end of 2023 and could play an important role in whatever Zaslav has planned.
Zaslav has pledged to find $3 billion in synergies in the newly merged company, a signal of how important cost cutting will be to Warners’ new owners. Mining DC’s library of characters could help control spending as Warner Bros. Discovery owns the underlying intellectual property, insiders say.
Jason Martinez
Upcoming DC Films projects include a sequel to Zachary Levi’s “Shazam,” a sequel to Jason Momoa’s “Aquaman,” the long-awaited franchise started “Black Adam” with Dwayne Johnson, and a third installment of Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman.”
>Superman have been left to languish and need to be revitalized.
ITS HAPPENING SUPERBROS
Eli Cruz
Finally, it only took 9 years of terrible decisions for them to realize it.
Justin Sanchez
So, are we gonna get another New 52 reboot where everything’s even more geared for movies, despite the past two relaunches being catered at undoing it?
Liam Turner
>New 52 reboot where everything’s even more geared for movies C'mon, no one believe it was ever anything but Didio trying to increase his influence over the franchise, they were nothing like any movie or cartoon ever made after and before it
Easton James
>Discovery insiders believe that although DC has achieved cinematic success with recent films such as “The Batman >“The Batman
LMAO
David Barnes
What about those DTV animated movies?
Tyler Nelson
So what happens when Batman eventually fails? How will DC stay afloat? They keep putting all of their eggs in one basket.
>So what happens when Batman eventually fails? How will DC stay afloat? They keep putting all of their eggs in one basket. That's...that's what the entire piece is about. You can read it above.
Joshua Evans
those were an afterthought, not the actual reason for having done it.
Julian Wood
>One of those candidates included Emma Watts Women being in charge has been the problem since 2011. They don’t understand capeshit or comics in general.
I hate that I agree with this because I'm trying to be a good person but besides like, Karen Berger and Ann Nocenti and a handful of others, you're right.
Liam Nelson
Variety doesn't know when a film has not made a profit
Gavin Wood
DC can't fail at this point anyways. They'll keep greenlighting spinoffs of failed movies because they can't afford to fall behind Marvel at this point. They're already so far behind and are trying to catch up with Flashpoint where younger heroes will take up the mantle as Superman is killed as a baby.
Cameron Myers
This, who is the one doing those outrage clickbait changes, made canon loose, turned everything grimdark and is using DC as a political plataform? I feel like whoever is doing those things will not be replaced.
Josiah Gray
No, it was the result of Diane Nelson. You casuals just latch on to the patsies. Which is not to take blame entirely off Didio and Lee (who needs to also be fired).
Putting a woman in charge, let alone corporate women, is the problem. Because they will do the worst shit and blame any disagreement on sexism.
Capes are for boys and young men. Not for women and girls. Capes have been in trouble for 11 years thanks to women being in charge at both marvel and DC.
Gabriel Collins
>DC into its own solidified content vertical, ENGLISH MOTHER FUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT.
Connor Jenkins
I mean, it was, it was just mediocre for a Batman movie.
Alexander Reed
I'll believe it when I see it but if they fix Superman I'll forgive them for obliterating classic Discovery with Alaska What makes you think The Batman hasn't been profitable? Man of Steel was profitable and it made more with a lower budget.
Lincoln Kelly
Vertical integration means they’ll be dictated from up top more. Which is necessary but the people dictating are never interested in anything but growth at all costs.
Expect more racial and sexuality swaps and “shake ups”.
Robert Taylor
Amy Pascal with Spider-Man never brought Spider-Woman, Black Cat, Silver Blade and about 10 others hot chicks
Colton Gonzalez
>Suits on top are going to be directing the comics
No she just made amazing Spider-Man which was horrible and venom and morbius which is worse. I also don’t give a fuck about live action though.
What I said has to do with comics… because this is Yea Forums you tourist. Not Yea Forums or /biz/
Elijah Allen
>Silver Blade I hate this fucking board.
Josiah Sanders
There's literally no reason to be sad because DC has been complete dogshit since 2018. At worst things will stay as bad as they are now.
Angel Nguyen
We’ll at least Superman is a priority, no mention of Coates or Abrams. Dare I hope that means Niggerman is not happening after all?
Elijah Gomez
Most of them are ending soon anyway, only thing that might happen is S&L and Stargirl move to HBO Max
Jack Murphy
Cute user. But as bad as things are they can always get worse.
Ethan Bell
it has just as much potential to turn out good as it does to turn out bad. more top-down decision-making means retards like Johns won't be able to make a personal playground of the entire DCU anymore.
could just lead to more out-of-touch decisions being made, though.
Ayden Carter
>Zaslav was less interested in finding a creative guru and more eager to hire someone who had the type of business background needed to keep all the different factions at DC working more harmoniously.
Yet again it's over before it began That's the kind of thinking that gets you a Kathy Kennedy when you need a Kevin Feige
Luis Nguyen
They paid Abrams big money to come work for them. He's not going anywhere.
Isaac Green
I don't watch Superman and Lois but apparently it's good
Carter Carter
The new 52 was great. I hope we get another line wide reboot like it
James Hughes
projects with serious funding put into them aren't going to just be dropped, user. let's be real.
Robert White
I did. Seems like DC has no real plan and hoping to see what sticks to the wall at this point.
Landon Cook
Nobody who’s ever paid full price for a comic thinks this.
Bentley Ward
Oh I know but they may not let him racebend Superman after all. I can hope so anyway. Abrams is going to make Constantine black so he’s already a faggot who is raping DC
Gavin Brooks
I have though
Michael Nelson
the best option would be to just hit the hard reset and use the Batman as the start of the new DC movie universe the way Ghostbusters afterlife was after the 2016 movie failed. I have doubts that’s what they’re going to do but that would be the best option but the people in the chairrooms making these decisions don’t listen to the fans
Brody Diaz
There’s no funding for that reboot yet, it’s still in the script phase. Now black Constantine in Abrams JLD shit? Yeah that’s happening
Jeremiah Myers
Kek
Christian Clark
Why lie on the internet
Grayson Jenkins
Go discuss movies on Yea Forums you faggot
Cameron Barnes
I have a bunch of New 52 Wonder Woman and Flash. I was really enjoying those runs when they were running as well as some others. I even got Flash signed by Francis Manapul when I went to New York comic con 2014. Don't make me post a picture with a timestamp
Brody Jackson
>The new 52 was great. >douchebag bully superman >Emo Lobo >Grumpy Wally West >Deathstroke quipping
Blake King
>likes N52 Wonder Woman Kill yourself
But first post the time stamped picture
Isaiah Baker
>Deathstroke quipping tbf, Deathstroke was a bit of a quipster in his original appearance; I imagine they were trying to invoke that.
Nolan Myers
user every character is gonna quip at some point in a comic book because most writers don't know how to write and they think making a character quip makes them likeable and relatable. Nearly every major character in comics whether hero or villain has had a writer who made them QuipMan in an attempt to "refresh" the character. It's not just new 52
Mason Jones
That’s the point, they are literally working to diversify and strengthen the DC brand as a whole so like pushing lesser known characters
Logan Thomas
They've put too much money and effort into existing projects to just drop them. They also have things like peacemaker which have connections to the existing DCEU which have been successful so it's be weird to just drop the universe. They could technically just label it as multiverse shenanigans but that would be extremely lazy. They also don't want the backlash they would get from recasting Gal Gadot Jason Momoa and so on. They also probably really believe Black Adam will set the world on fire no movie studio is gonna cancel a movie with THE ROCK as the main character. I agree with you and wish they would start over but I highly doubt it will happen
Alexander Fisher
That's code for he needs to be a gay black jew who fights racist white men
Easton Martinez
>if everyone jumps off a bridge would you do it to? >yes.
That’s not at all what they’d do. You apparently have never worked in a corporate environment. Growth is expected to be immediate and consistent.
new characters dont do this. It’s always a financial risk. Expect them to just “shake up” the A listers with more gay shit and race shit.
