Warner Bros. Discovery had their earnings call this afternoon, and CEO David Zaslav’s big announcement—as expected— was to confirm that HBO Max and Discovery+ will indeed be merging into a single service that will launch sometime next summer in the United States, with an international rollout happening afterward.
However, some other topics were also touched upon, including the future of the DC Comics franchise following the cancelation of the $90 million “Batgirl” film that sent shockwaves and ripples throughout the industry. Zaslav and the WBD brass on the call described a “reset” that will happen over the next ten years with a plan being mapped out, including an attempt to mirror what Kevin Feige/Alan Horn did together when Disney took over Marvel Studios.
“You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, these are brands that are known everywhere in the world,” Zaslav said of the future of DC on the earnings call. “And the ability to drive those all over the world with great stories is a big opportunity for us. We have done a reset. We’ve restructured the business. We’re going to focus where there will be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC.”
“It’s very similar to the structure that Alan Horn and Bob Iger put together very effectively with Kevin Feige at Disney. We think that we could build a long-term, much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC, and as part of that, we’re going to focus on quality.”
If you’re not aware, Variety previously reported that Horn is joining the studio in an “advisor” role and could easily be involved with DC projects. If you’re reading the tea leaves there, Horn, who worked with Bob Iger at Disney and Marvel, could easily be the person to help hire the next Kevin Feige that they’ve been talking about for months.
When it comes to what that future DCEU looks like, well, they name-dropped Superman at least three times when talking about their brands, echoing previous sentiments that the superhero is indeed a priority for them. And of course, just yesterday was the report of the potential axing of the “Supergirl” film’s development.
While the CEO also reaffirmed that “The Flash” is still on the docket (despite Ezra Miller’s disturbing off-set arrests/antics) of upcoming releases, along with things like “Shazam! 2” and “Black Adam.” Although suggesting that they “can make them even better,” which sounds like reshoots and delays for much of their upcoming DC slate are on the way.
“We have seen ‘The Flash,’ ‘Black Adam,’ and ‘Shazam 2,’…We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better,” the CEO said of the remaining films that are still in post-production phases that are likely looking at further polishes.
Additionally, the studio added that they would only be releasing movies they “believe in,” which obviously was a direct nod and shade towards their decision to shelve “Batgirl.” Along with stating that they’re job is “to protect” the DC Comics brand, by focusing on “quality,” which feels like more shade at the canned film starring Leslie Grace.
“We’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it. That’s it,” Zaslav said on the earnings call today. “The objective is to grow the DC brand, to grow the DC characters, but also our job is to protect the DC brand, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“This idea of expensive films going to streaming, we cannot find an economic case for it, so we are making a strategic shift,” he added. “We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready. We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter, and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”
It’s not all that surprising as we knew some of these things were on the table, like the merging of streaming services and attempting to get their own version of Feige at DC. However, we’ll just have to wait and see what this “reset” looks like and whether or not the DC slate is in for a big reshuffling.
