DC Films employees “pissed” as new executive upends the slate

The modern DC Extended Universe formally kicked off in 2013 with the release of Man of Steel. There was some controversy over that movie — people thought Superman was a mite too murderous, for instance — but overall it seemed to go over okay. It was something to build on, at least.

But then came Batman v Superman, which was widely mocked from all quarters. Justice League tanked so badly they made a whole new movie out of it released years later. The first Wonder Woman was pretty good, the second one was so lame it put people to sleep three theaters over. At least when compared to its rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU is a mess, and it has been for some time. Messiness is kind of its signature at this point, and new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav clearly doesn’t want to break with tradition.

Exhibit A is the recent cancellation of Batgirl, which was going to be an HBO Max movie. The film was going to be released to HBO Max, but Zaslav decided to pivot the direction of the DCEU and the movie ended up on the cutting room floor, despite it being nearly done and the studio having already spent $90 million on it. “We are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it’s ready,” said the executive, per The Hollywood Reporter. “DC is something we can make better.”

The continuing deterioration of the DC Extended Universe

Reportedly, Zaslav has a 10-year plan to turn DC Films into whatever it is he thinks will be better than what it is now; it involves fewer films sent straight to HBO Max and more blockbuster theatrical releases. That said, at least so far, there don’t seem to be many changes on the table apart from axing Batgirl. Black Adam, Shazam 2, Aquaman 2 and The Flash are all still on the schedule, the latter of which is kinda surprising considering that star Ezra Miller is currently engaged in what is increasingly looking like an international crime spree; he was arrested for the third this year, this time for felony burglary, just earlier this week.

Meanwhile, The Suicide Squad director James Gunn has been assured that his projects are safe, including the upcoming second season of Peacemaker on HBO Max. The Blue Beetle movie and the sequel to Joker are also secure. According to THR, development on some projects has “slowed” — that includes movies about Supergirl, the Green Lantern Corps and Static Shock, plus a J.J. Abrams-produced Black Superman film from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates — but those were off in the future anyway, so it’s hard to say if Zaslav had a hand in them getting less attention, or even if they’re getting less attention at all.

And apparently it’s no easier DC employees to figure out what Zaslav is playing at; THR describes their mood as “pissed.” DC president Walter Hamada was ready to quit over the Batgirl debacle, although he’s reportedly been convinced to stay on at least until Black Adam comes out on October 21.

Hamada was initially brought on to give a new direction to the DCEU after Zack Snyder’s plans for it imploded following the release of Justice League in 2017. Hamada apparently had plans for a Crisis on Infinite Earths event, but who knows where Zaslav’s newest pivot leaves it?

Y’know, if you want your franchise to last maybe it’s not a good idea to completely change direction every few years? But again, this is DC; messiness is their stock in trade and I only expect things to get messier as time marches on.

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