Warner Bros announced its merger with Discovery on April 8, 2022. Following its merger, the studio canceled multiple shows and movies, which also included a number of DC projects. After this, the CEO David Zaslav released a statement saying that the studio is planning to set up a 10-year plan for its upcoming DC projects under WBD. However, not much progress was noted following the CEO’s statement. Warner Bros. recently introduces a new studio unit, DC Studios.
The new unit has replaced DC Films and will oversee DC films under the studio. James Gunn and Peter Safran will run the studio as CEO and co-chair respectively. It did seem like the studio has something in mind for its future DC films. The last DC movie to release under the studio was Black Adam. Although the film received a good response from the audience, its box office collection was not what the studio expected it to be.
David Zaslav Discusses DC Studios’ Shortcomings
The CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav talked about how the deal between Warner Bros. and Discovery came together on the Southeastern Asset Management podcast. While talking about the company he also discussed the strengths and shortcomings of the studio in comparison to the Marvel Studios.
He said although Marvel Studios is a lot bigger, Warner Bros. still has icons like Superman and Batman. “When you compare DC to Marvel, Marvel is seven, eight, nine times bigger, but we have Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman,” he said.
The CEO also shared that Warner Bros has a lot of opportunities with Harry Potter and they also have gaming. “So, when I look at the businesses, the businesses themselves, I feel like, we have great assets and great businesses… I really like our hand,” David Zslav said.
However, Zaslav also admitted that the state of the studio is not what they wanted it to be. He mentioned that the overall economy and the advertising market have not been very favorable either. Although the situation is not in their favor, the media executive claims that there are still opportunities to turn things around.
“There are a lot of things that we think, that I think, and as a leadership team, we think we could turn around quicker, there are a lot more things that we can fix that’s either broken, or wounded, or that we can manage better.”
Zaslav claimed that the studio is operating at a level that it needs to and they were working to turn things around. And with Peter Safran and James Gunn taking the lead for DCEU films, fans also expect to see better content from DC Studios.
Will DC Studios Live up to its Promises?
It would not be the first time the studio has claimed to provide better content. The most recent example would be Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adma. The lead star promoted the movie with claims that the movie would change the DCEU.
However, the film received mixed reactions and was not the hit the studio expected it to be. The USP of the film was Henry Cavill’s return as Superman. Now that James Gunn, who directed the hit DC movie Suicide Squad and a spin-off Peacemaker, has taken the lead, fans are expecting to see more such films with the director.
DC Studios CEO recently shared an image of the DC villain Lobo, leading many to believe that the studio is planning a new project. It would be interesting to see more DC characters joining the DCEU in future projects.
The studio has Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are to release under DCEU. Other than these, sequels to the 2019 Joker and 2022 The Batman is also under development.
The next DC film to release under the studio Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to release on 17 March 2023.
Source: The Direct
