However, there has not been one other candidate to take over a division which has experienced three regime changes within five years (Greg Silverman Geoff Johns and Jon Berg), as well as a very turbulent and up-and-down relationship with both comic-book lovers and general audiences. Many Hollywood insiders think that DC and its parent company are facing many difficulties.
“It is a very narrow group of people who can run and effectively get DC films back on track while handling the creative, business and — let’s be frank — the political minefields that come with that job,”According to a top Hollywood producer,
Warner Bros. The Discovery representative declined comment.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the challenges for anybody who takes on the job.
1. The problem is in the details
After pledging to make DC into a rival of Disney’s Marvel Studios, Zaslav scrapped the nearly completed $90 million spinoff “Batgirl,”You can delay the “Aquaman”sequel release nine months prior to December 2023, and appears paralyzed by how to handle an already-shot spunoff “The Flash” as its star, Ezra Miller, faces multiple allegations of physical assault and even child grooming.
As the DC slate continues to expand over the next two-years, the new DC boss will need to manage the successes and misses. “The Flash”It’s an interesting situation because the film is supposed change the DC timeline. Although the DC boss may have a plan of its own, the film will tie them together by the threads that are created in the movie. These will guide how the new slate will move forward.
Miller, who was recently profiled in Vanity Fair, may not be marketed as the film’s troubled star. Miller is currently undergoing therapy to overcome their self-admitted mental illness. “complex mental health issues.” The Vanity Fair profile paints a picture of a person who’s not only dangerous, manipulative and abusive, but also, according to their ex-fiancée, has “illusions of grandeur.”
People familiar with Lin’s decision told he was particularly concerned about the shelving of “Batgirl,”A film that was in production for many years, and almost finished, so Warner Bros. could claim a tax write off related to projects abandoned after merger. Warner Bros. Gunnar Wiedenfels, Discovery’s Chief Financial Officer, stated that the film could not be canned. “blown out of proportion a little bit”She explained that the company will continue to spend more money on content, while still taking in revenue. “a more rational approach.”
2. Micromanaging CEO
David Zaslav’s hands-on management style as CEO of the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t winning over fans, according to numerous industry insiders.
It’s widely been reported that Zaslav likes to start early and have meetings at 7 a.m. One top agent who spoke to says 7 a.m. calls are par for the course and will be expected of anybody who takes on the job. The past has shown that unwelcome calls can cause a lot of stress.
“Random calls are what famously led to Lorenzo DiBonaventura’s departure as head of Warner Bros.,”According to a top agent. DiBonaventura in 2002 was the EVP of Worldwide Motion Pictures at The Studio. He had frequent clashes with Alan Horn, then the studio’s boss. “He just got tired of it. That is the very nature of the job.”
And Zaslav isn’t the only stakeholder to keep happy. “You’re not getting them from just someone like Zaslav,”The agent stated. “Talent like a James Wan, Todd Phillips, etc. would also constantly call.”
However, Zaslav’s intervention could be particularly difficult for any DC boss. Lin and all other candidates have more experience with large-screen theatrical releases than Zaslav who has spent his entire career in broadcast TV and cable TV.
“Why would Dan Lin want to take the job? DC is a huge priority for Zaslav, but who wants to come on board and lead a film division that’s already canceled a film that was ready to go. And have a micromanaging CEO?”Warner Bros. producer said.
3. The Kevin Feige comparisons
Zaslav has done himself no favors in how he’s framed the position, last month telling investors on an earnings call that the company’s restructuring centered on creating a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC… similar to the structure that Alan Horn and Bob Iger put together very effectively with Kevin Feige at Disney.”
One studio insider said that the problem was: “A Kevin doesn’t just appear.”
Feige’s rise is legendary. He was a USC student and landed an internship with Lauren Shuler Donner, producers Richard Shuler Donner. This allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks as a production assistant for films such as “Volcano”And “You Got Mail” to a producing credit on Shuler Donner’s 2000 film “X-Men” — a promotion he landed due to his encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel universe. Avi Arad, then the CEO of Marvel Entertainment made Feige his second commander.
By age 33, Feige became Marvel Studios chief — a job that expanded after Disney acquired the company in 2007. Feige would be the first to achieve the unmatched hit streak in the history movie business with his 29 films and $27 billion in global box office. He also secured his unicorn status.
“Looking for a Feige is silly,”Another producer stated the same. “Feige studied movies under Lauren Donner and Marvel under Avi Arad. He knew both worlds.”
4. Creative autonomy
One reason for Feige’s success is the almost unprecedented amount of creative and business autonomy he has been given by Disney over just about every aspect of Marvel’s operations in film, TV and even comic books — a broad portfolio he’s had since 2019 with authority over everything from story lines to talent to budgets.
Anyone hired to fill the DC position will face additional constraints both financially and creatively until they have a track of success.
According to insiders, Zaslav holds the greenlight power for movies, and whoever steps into the DC role won’t have the latitude that Feige has at Disney. Zaslav “aspires” to turn DC into a vertical, one insider said, the notion that a DC boss would have any creative or financial control of the division’s content is a “pipe dream.”
“There is no ‘other Feige,’”The second producer stated. “Warners will never give autonomy like that to one person.”
5. The DC job isn’t the only game in town
The other problem facing Warner is that that there are other companies which offer more latitude and are currently looking for a movie chief — including Amazon Studios, especially since MGM heads De Luca and Abdy jumped to Warner Bros. just as the online retailer completed its acquisition of MGM earlier this year.
Some studio executives may find the nature of the gig to be frustrating. “Well, they’re certainly shooting for the top and the fact that the job is so limited — just DC titles — perhaps makes it less attractive for the level of executive they’re going after,”The agent stated. “While at the same time, the Amazon job is open — which offers a full slate.”
Warner Bros. is able to overcome these obstacles. Discovery still has time. “The release slate keeps getting pushed back, so that allows them to take their time with this position,”The agent stated.
6. Warner already has a comics specialist in its stable
Until Zaslav finds his unicorn according to Warner insiders, the newly appointed studio CEOs Mike De Luca, and Pam Abdy, will manage DC. And De Luca has experience in the comics space: He developed the Marvel’s “Blade” franchise in the late ’90s when he was an exec at New Line and even tried to get “Iron Man” made until the studio’s option on the character lapsed.
That’s led some in Hollywood to question the need for Warner to seek out its own Feige-like executive at all. “De Luca knows comics. He knows films. They already have what they need,”The second producer stated.
But according to the Warner insider, De Luca and Abdy only have greenlight authority on projects with budgets under $35 million — which limits their ability to reshape the DC film landscape without the buy-in of Zaslav.
7. Free agents can be more lucrative
So far, the candidates for this job have been more experienced executives from other studios than traditional film producers like Dan Lin.
But successful producers bring all sort of complications — including commitments to projects set up at rival studios. Lin’s Rideback banner has stakes in franchises ranging from MGM’s “The Pink Panther”Disney tentpoles: “Reboot to Disney” “Aladdin 2”And “Haunted Mansion” — as well as Warner series like the “Lego”And “It” franchises.
And often, producer fees are more lucrative than any studio job — with less of the bureaucratic hassle.
8. What runway will the new DC boss need?
Not only will the new DC boss be saddled with rolling out a full slate of projects that they had no hand in shaping, but there are questions about Warner Bros. Discovery’s medium- and long-term viability as a standalone company.
The company now has approximately $50 billion of debt as a result the merger worth $43 million. In order to cut overhead, the company has seen a lot of layoffs and reduced projects. “Batgirl” to dozens of films and series that have been pulled from the company’s streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+.
But the stock has taken a nosedive that’s seen $20 billion of value wiped away since April — prompting talk that Warner Bros. Discovery could be a potential acquisition target, with Comcast considered a potential suitor in the merger plans of WBD and NBCUniversal.
While Zaslav has shot down such speculation — on Wednesday, he said the company is “not for sale” in an employee town hall — the prospect of enduring another regime change could weigh heavily on candidates for the DC gig. The average DC movie takes three years to take from initial development to release — meaning that the soonest a DC slate under a new team would reach audiences is probably 2026.
9. A large fan base of vocal trolls
Feige is beloved by Marvel fans. However, DC’s revolving door has seen a much darker and more vocal community of diehards.
The Twitter cult that called for the 2021 restoration of director Zack Snyder’s abandoned cut of the 2017 big-screen flop “Justice League”Warner executives harassed to force the filmmaker to take creative control of DC slate.
They can be unrelenting in their troll-like behavior and even go as far as to harass the children execs and make death threats, as Walter Hamada, outgoing DC boss, recently witnessed. according to a recent Rolling Stone report on Snyder’s Twitter cult.
