It’s true. The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change. But it will not be Black Adam to change — it’s the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav. At a recent event, he explained the future of DC Films which is more focused and simpler than before. “There won’t be four Batmans,” he said.
Presentation at the Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Marketing Business Conference (via IndieWire), the head of the company discussed what he thought DC needed to do to be more successful, and it’s really looking at Marvel. “The policy which [former Disney CEO Bob] Iger combined was all Marvels in one place,” said Zaslav. “You don’t wake up and find out there’s a Batman TV show somewhere and a Batman cartoon somewhere else, they must all be connected to each other. There needs to be a look and feel to it all. And then I went on a journey a few months ago, ‘How do I put all of DC in one place?’ Because I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for this company.
The answer is revealed by hiring new bosses DC movies by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who has been tasked with creating a new, purposeful future for the brand. “Part of our strategy is to kick the hell out of DC, which James and Peter plan to do,” Zaslav said. “They impressed the fans, I think they will make you happy for a season. But also focus on our strategic advantage, the great content that we have that everyone in the world knows and focus on telling those stories.
The director mentioned that Superman is of course the focus (“We haven’t done a Superman movie after 13 years,” he also noted), and that while Gunn is working on writing a new DC movie, Safran is “fixing” Aquaman. Whatever that means. Could it have to do with the fact Ben Affleck’s Batman was supposed to appear in the upcoming sequel? And if he does, does that give DC the aforementioned four Batmans to move around in live action? Which means Robert Pattinson in The batmanBen Affleck enters Aquaman and the Lost KingdomMichael Keaton in The Flashand the young actor as Bruce Wayne Joker series? We don’t know.
That was not mentioned in the event, but the other thing that Zaslav’s quote brings to mind is the multiple storylines The Flash. The film was rumored to have been made with the express purpose of giving DC another starting point for its narrative. Will this idea ksee everything focused change that picture? Has the CEO already given The Flash spiritual Batgirl and dismiss it as a one-off? There are so many questions to be answered in the coming months as Gunn plans to release what we would imagine are his final two Marvel projects (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and That franchise’s Christmas specials), and DC gets back to theaters with Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash.
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