It seems the MCU might actually be getting some competition in the near future. Variety has reported that multiple sources close to the situation have stated that Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. CEO David Zaslav met with top executives before the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery to find someone to increase the profile of DC Entertainment while also bringing its comics, movies, TV shows, and video games into a better alignment.
Zaslav has reportedly spoken with different individuals to find someone to be a central voice and figurehead with its DC content, similar to how Kevin Feige oversees Marvel Studios.
Just a few days ago, Discovery closed its $43 billion deal for WarnerMedia, which created a powerful standalone global media and entertainment company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and the merger is already beginning to shake things up in the DC universe!
One of the most disappointing things about the DCEU is the inconsistency from one film to the next. Most of the streaming series on HBO Max are far superior to the movies and since the first Batman film in 1989, the DC movies have been stabbing their way through the comics without any rhyme or reason. The MCU, on the other hand, has consistently found a way to make each and every film and TV show flow together cohesively throughout each phase. It seems that now Warner Bros. Discovery plans to correct this massive oversight.
Prior to the merger closing, Zaslav reportedly vetted several candidates with experience in “nurturing blockbuster intellectual property” in an effort to hire someone who has a strong business background capable of helming different factions at DC for a “more harmonious” approach. One of those candidates included Emma Watts, a former top film executive at 20th Century Studios and Paramount, however it does not appear that Watts will actually take the job.
“Discovery believes that several top-shelf characters such as Superman have been left to languish and need to be revitalized,” Variety reported. “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 is another example).”
On the plus side, DC is doing very well with its streaming TV series. Doom Patrol is well received by audiences and DC has discovered ways for its big-screen films to inspire more streaming content like the wildly popular Peacemaker series, which is a spinoff of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad movie plus the upcoming planned series based on Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Gotham City’s police force.
REELated: WarnerMedia and Discovery close merger
Things have definitely been better since Walter Hamada took over DC Films from Jon Berg and Geoff Johns in 2018. DC has managed to achieve more consistency in terms of both the critical and commercial reception to the company’s movies. Hamada is under contract until the end of 2023 and could play an important role in whatever Zaslav has planned.
The news comes as DC’s remaining 2022 and 2023 slate of films have been mostly pushed back. The Flash and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom were both delayed from 2022 to 2023, with the Aquaman sequel moving to March 17, 2023 and The Flash racing to June 23, 2023.
The long-awaited franchise Black Adam with Dwayne Johnson is moving from July 29 to October 21, 2022. We are still expecting the third installment of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to be released in December 2023.
Zachary Levi’s Shazam Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 Shazam, is moving up from 2023 to December 12, 2022.
Batman fans can see Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s The Batman on HBO Max beginning Monday April 18.
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