The DC universe is upside down again. David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has been monopolizing the cinematic news for some days for his drastic decisions to redirect the company’s strategy and, above all, reduce the debt it brings from the WarnerMedia era. One of the most affected divisions was the DC. Zaslav has decided to cancel the premiere of “Batgirl” despite the fact that it has already been shot, cancel plans to publish superhero movies directly in streaming and announced a ten-year plan for the franchise following the lead of its main competitors, Marvel Studios.
Warner Bros. had already tried a UCM cinematic universe with Zack Snyder at the helm, but the “Justice League” debacle put an end to that idea and in 2018 Walter Hamada stepped in to take care of a new stage for the franchise. His main decision was to allow the films not to be so connected with each other or to follow a unified style.. “Aquaman” surpassed $ 1 billion at the box office and seemed to indicate that DC was finally on the right track. Undoubtedly, criticism has accompanied them more than in the Snyder era. But the box office did not finish accompanying at all, until the arrival of “The Batman”, unrelated to any other title in the DC universe.
Hamada’s strategy of giving more freedom had lights and shadows, but they were willing to keep trying, even with events like “Justice League” without following a set plan. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Walter Hamada wanted to try to make a film based on ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’, a crossover that came to comics in the 1980s and which we have already seen adapted in the television Arrowverse.. We would see multiverses, epic battles of characters from different realities and all the potential that DC could have. But it is very likely that this idea, like so many others from the old guard, will not materialize because Hamada was about to leave the company of the anger that led to the cancellation of ‘Batgirl’, and would have agreed to stay ahead. until the opening of “Black Adam” next October.
Movies in limbo and those that go on
It would not be the only project that remains suspended. Apparently, at some point they also wanted to introduce the Secret Six, a team of villains normally antagonists of the Suicide Squad. The Supergirl, Green Lantern Corps, Static Shock and Black Superman films JJ Abrams was developing also remained in limbo..
But that’s not all bad news. Apparently, Warner Bros. Discovery’s new board of directors kept plans for “Blue Beetle” and “Black Canary”. The first film will introduce us to the first Latin superhero in the DC universe. He will play Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) and will be directed by Angel Manuel Sota. Susan Sarandon is part of the cast. Initially targeting HBO Max, the previous board had already decided they would finally launch it in theaters. “Black Canary,” which Warner confirmed to TV Line is still in development, marks Jurnee Smollett’s return to DC after “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)”. The case of this movie is stranger because it’s still destined for HBO Max at the moment, and we already know that Zaslav has no plans to spend any money on direct-to-stream movies. Will it also be promoted to the cinema? We’ll also have to see how they fit into the studio’s new franchise plans if they want everything to be more connected than it is now.
Source: E Cartelera
