Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Warner Bros.-New Line bosses will temporarily oversee the company’s DC division until a permanent replacement is hired.
The new corporate structure at Warner Bros. Discovery has started to take shape.
According to THR, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav’s strategy is to restructure the company into three production verticals: Warner Bros.-New Line, DC and Animation. Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who are currently chairmen at MGM, have closed a deal to run Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. The duo is expected to temporarily run DC until new leadership is announced with DC Films president Walter Hamada reporting directly to them. Toby Emmerich will step down as chairman of Warner Bros.-New Line, a role he has held since 2017, but is expected to receive a five-year production deal at the studio.
Reports indicate sorting out DC remains a huge priority for Zaslav with the Warner Bros. Discovery president having reportedly asked Todd Phillips, who co-wrote, produced and directed 2019’s box-office success Joker, to act as an advisor for future DC Universe films. However, although Phillips and Zaslav have discovered a rapport, the multi-hyphenate is not expected to serve in an executive capacity.
Phillips is also not expected to become DC’s Kevin Feige, due to his lack of knowledge regarding the broader DC Universe. Zaslav has been “vetting candidates” since April 2022 in an attempt to find “someone to serve as a creative and strategic czar similar to what Marvel has in Kevin Feige.” Hamada only oversees theatrical and streaming films based on DC characters and Zaslav is hoping to find a single voice that could oversee DC’s film, TV and comic divisions.
DC Films has several films in various stages of development with Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods set to hit theaters later in 2022. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash and Blue Beetle are on tap for 2023. The production label’s recent output includes The Batman, which earned $770 million at the worldwide box office and recently became available to own on Digital, 4KUHD, Blu-ray and DVD.
De Luca and Abdy are expected to begin their tenure at Warner Bros. Discovery as soon as they are released from their MGM contracts by Amazon, which could happen as early as July. Their departure at MGM comes as Amazon eyes developing a new structure for the studio, which is expected to include more wide theatrical releases. It is unknown at this time how long De Luca and Abdy will act as the temporary heads of the DC vertical. A head for the animation vertical at Warner Bros. Discovery has also not yet been named.
Source: THR
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