Warner Bros shakes up the executives at DC in response to BATMAN V SUPERMAN feedback

Whether you loved Batman v Superman or hated it, one thing is certain is that the polarizing experience and feedback from fans and low review scores certainly made the studio take notice and since then we’ve seen a flurry of activity and press about the upcoming films that shows they are listening to the feedback. And despite the film being a financial success, it was not as profitable as the studio would’ve liked and as a result there is now some shifting of the DC Comic executives as well, according to reports by Variety.

The studio is giving oversight of its DC Entertainment movies to Warner’s Executive VP Jon Berg and DC’s Chief Operating Officer Geoff Johns through its recently created DC Films arm. Berg will continue to report to Greg Silverman and Johns to DC Entertainment topper Diane Nelson.

Nelson has served as president of DC Entertainment since 2009 and as president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment since 2013. Silverman was named president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros Pictures. Johns, meanwhile, has been a driving creative force along with Greg Berlanti behind DC’s successful television properties Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl. He has of course also been one of the top comic book writers at DC Comics for years now already, often spearheading their major story arcs. Case in point, he was tasked with writing this month’s Rebirth comic book, which will shake up the landscape of DC superheroes on the page after the company’s 2011 New 52 relaunch.

And speaking to Vulture in a follow-up interview, Johns revealed that he thinks the DC brand as a whole needs more “hope and optimism” and that the higher-ups need to recognize how cherished these characters are.

“There’s a lot of emotional underpinning of the characters and the stories. It’s not that people take it for granted. They’re just not as aware of it. But when it’s not there, you really feel that emptiness.”

In the light of that insight, this WB shakeup certainly makes sense, as the studio looks to ensure their huge investment in the franchise actually delivers the returns they would like and doesn’t end up derailing the studio financially, but I also find it a bit of a knee-jerk reaction. With so much work already done on preparing the upcoming films, it may have made more sense for them to rather just stick with what they’ve got and make the necessary changes to the script. However, I can’t argue that the pedigree of the new men in charge of DC Entertainment and hopefully it does bring about the rewards they are looking for and meet the demands of the fans.

This news, goes along with the earlier announcement that Ben Affleck is going to be taking executive producer roles in the upcoming Justice League films and is also set to write and direct his own Batman movie.

Meanwhile, the man whose vision used to be the main force at DC Entertainment, Zack Snyder, began shooting Justice League: Part One in April with Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Amber Heard, Jeremy Irons, J. K. Simmons and Willem Dafoe. The film is scheduled to be released on Nov. 17, 2017, with Justice League: Part Two set for June 14, 2019. Warner Bros. has already planned a slew of movies in the DC universe through 2020, with Suicide Squad slated for Aug. 5, the two Justice League films, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and The Flash and not to mention a Green Lantern Corps movie and the recently announced Harley Quinn standalone movie. It’s a tumultuous, but exciting time for DC Comic fans at the moment.

What do you make of the recent changes in the executive at DC Entertainment?

Last Updated: May 19, 2016