By this stage in the game, and after its pitiful box office performance ($652 million), it’s pretty clear that Justice League was not the four-quadrant success many had hoped – you know it, I know it, and Warner Bros. very much knows it, too.
The studio is already beginning to implement a major shake-up of its DC Films division, beginning with the appointment of Walter Hamada (It, The Conjuring) as president. Further down the chain of command, Geoff Johns and former DC Films head Jon Berg will now assume different roles entirely – the former will work alongside Roy Lee (It: Chapter Two), while Johns is expected to hold an “advisory role” within the DC Extended Universe henceforth – but now, The Wrap has revealed another interesting wrinkle to the fold.
In a new report, the outlet alleges that WB will no longer operate under a greenlighting-by-committee policy, with Warner Bros. Pictures Chairman Toby Emmerich expected to answer to “no one but Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara.” Not only that, but Sue Kroll, a 23-year veteran of the studio, has parted ways with Warner Bros., leaving the power to green-light future DC movies solely in the hands of Emmerich.
On paper, this will hopefully lead to more streamlined productions, as Warner looks to mitigate the recurring problems caused by too many cooks in the kitchen.
And there is perhaps no better example of that issue than the recently-released Justice League. With two directors and umpteen producers, Warner’s mega-movie became trapped under the weight of its own expectations, and as one insider tells The Wrap, the decision to exclude Superman from the film’s marketing was, frankly, “bizarre.”
The bizarre decision not to have Superman included in the marketing stopped ‘Justice League’ from potentially hitting $100 million opening weekend.
Tsujihara, meanwhile, believes Warner Bros. must forge its own path when it comes to big-budget superhero movies, as producing a carbon copy of the MCU is out of the question.
Warner Bros needs to continue doing what it’s always done: producing the biggest, most diverse slate in the business. That’s what’s made us successful. We can’t do what Disney’s done. It’s worked really, really well for them, but it’s not who we are. We need to continue to create a balanced slate of all types of movies and all genres.
So, there you have it; for better or worse, Justice League has prompted a big change at Warner Bros. and DC Films. But will it lead to more competent, entertaining movies? Time will tell.
