Joss Whedon Will Be A Major Part Of DC Films’ Creative Team, Zack Snyder May Take Smaller Role

The reshoots for “Justice League” are rolling right along, but they are coming with hefty $25 million pricetag. It certainly indicates that Warner Bros. are desperate to get the massive superhero team-up right, but also that they have faith in Joss Whedon to do the job. He’s stepping in for Zack Snyder who exited post-production earlier this year following the tragic suicide of his daughter, but it looks like DC Films and WB have even bigger plans for Whedon.

Mashable reports that Whedon “will be a major part” of the creative team behind DC Films movies going forward. They also state that Snyder and his wife and producing partner will be taking a backseat and becoming less involved as the franchise expands. While WB insists that “the Snyders remain an important part of the Warner Bros. family and are actively involved in several upcoming DC pictures,” the site says while the Snyders may retain producing credits, they will be working on those pictures at a remove.

It’s perhaps not a surprise that WB and DC might want to pivot. They came stumbling out of the gate with DCEU with two expensive films — “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” — that were poorly received critically, and in the case of the latter, underwent extensive reshoots to little effect. Now, “Justice League” is facing the same hurdles and perhaps they are looking for fresh, creative energy to see to their future efforts.

They’ll certainly have it in Whedon who made his mark on Marvel, and Matt Reeves, slated to direct “The Batman,” is another key creative. He’s coming off two successful ‘Apes’ movies, but most importantly, he’s shown he can bring a unique perspective to franchise material.

However, before you dig on Snyder, it should be noted that “Suicide Squad” helmer David Ayer could also be on the outs. Mashable notes “Gotham City Sirens,” which he is slated to direct, was not mentioned in the roster of upcoming movies during WB’s panel at San Diego Comic Con, and they say Ayer is not part of WB and DC’s future plans. However, while the director’s rep denies those claims, DC Films honcho Geoff Johns hasn’t been shy about saying that Ayer’s effort “didn’t work narratively.”

All told, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a shakeup over at DC and WB as they likely want to get on the same footing as Marvel who seem to knock out one critically embraced commercial hit after another. Certainly, the next year or two ahead will be very interesting as DC Films aims to bring more “heart, humor, and heroics” to their pictures.