Amid horrifying rumors concerning the state or Warner Bros Discovery, THR’s Borys Kit is reporting that producer Dan Lin is near being tapped as the new drummer for Spinal Tap new head of the DCEU. Overseeing each movies and tv, this place is that of Warrior of Light the Chosen One Who Will Balance the Force WBD’s reply to Kevin Feige, the boy who lived, the Ringbearer, The One.
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Lin arrives properly fitted to the position, having overseen such very profitable entertainments as the It movies, the reside motion Aladdin (Over $1 bil in worldwide field workplace), and most essential, The Lego Movie franchise – as properly as TV ventures such as the Lethal Weapon and Walker, Texas Ranger reboots as properly as the upcoming reside motion Avatar: The Last Airbender TV collection.
The place would include a number of autonomy Kit experiences, and would result in Walter Hamada leaving WBD.
The position would embody overseeing not simply movie however tv as properly, with Lin reporting on to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, in line with sources. The proposed construction would bypass three separate division heads — Warner Bros. Pictures’ heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, HBO/HBO Max chief Casey Bloys, and Warner Bros. TV chair Channing Dungey — and put management of DC within the arms of 1 particular person.
As a shock bonus reward, Lin is properly acquainted with the DC universe and movies, having spoken about them as lately as AUGUST fifth on The Ankler’s Hot Seat Podcast:
In one other interview now solely discovered on the Wayback Machine, Lin talks about his dream DC mission, Justice League: Mortal, the scrapped George Miller JLA movie, the nice misplaced masterpiece of DCEU movies. In different phrases, this may very well be one thing actually akin to a messiah or savior for DC,
While this may appear to be a ray of hope within the darkness earlier than the daybreak, arrayed towards Lin are a number of issues. According to Variety, Lin is merely “in the mix” and never a accomplished deal as a result of he has a posh internet of manufacturing offers that might have to be sorted.
Even worse, Warner Bros Discovery – and the DCEU particularly – is at present in a dumpster conflagration that makes the earlier hearth seem like a Yankee Candle peacefully sputtering on a plinth. Let’s go to the bullet factors.
• Since our final report, WBD head David Zaslav and his goon squad of bean counters have taken a hatchet to much more content material, eradicating beloved characters like Elmo from HBO Max and Aquaman: King of Atlantis.
• The upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader is in streaming “turnaround” having been cancelled at HBO Max however at present being shopped to different nets. This is not any time-filler of a present, however a high quality manufacturing from J.J. Abrams, Bruce Timm and Matt Reeves – it’s the one Ed Brubaker was contributing to. I repeat: Abrams, Timm and Reeves, the man who’s sizzling as heck after his Batman film. If you possibly can’t run YOUR OWN IP FROM TOP RANK CREATORS ON YOUR OWN STREAMING SERVICE WHAT THE FRAK IS THE POINT?????
• It’s laborious to know the place to start with the unfolding catastrophe that’s the Zaslav period of WBD. But as foretold, each Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom have been pushed again even additional. Shazam is shifting to March 17, 2023, the earlier date for Aquaman 2, and A2 is shifting all the way in which to Dec. 25, 2023, supposedly so that they have extra time to work on VFX.
• It is not going to take 14 months to make the VFX for this film which was initially supposed to come back out this Christmas. So why the delays? Well, this tweet from Kit shocked business observers, claiming that WBD had pushed so many issues again as a result of they solely manage to pay for to market two extra movies this 12 months:
The strikes underscore what a monetary mess Warner Bros. Discovery is as the studio has solely sufficient money to launch 2 motion pictures from now to the tip of this 12 months (Don’t Worry Darling and Black Adam). https://t.co/qZReE7BO6W
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) August 24, 2022
Kit quoted one other veteran producer as saying “They have no money and no clues.” Truly makes you want for the cosy days of Jason Killar.
• Zaslav has pissed off Hollywood’s elite no query, however in equity, he’s between a rock and a tough place, as WBD does have to chop its debt. But he’s going about it in probably the most ham-handed and Karen-like manner doable, as a narrative within the Daily Beast experiences that execs who’re non-white males are being eliminated at a brisk clip.
Former Warner workers consider these adjustments are simply as a lot about enterprise as they’re about reshaping the ideological notion of Warner properties. It all factors to the identical finish, they are saying: A rejection of left-wing or extremely various content material in favor of extra homogenous, Middle America-friendly fare. The lack of variety in content material employees may simply make that objective simpler.
The cancellation of minority led-fare like Batgirl and Batman: Caped Crusader and most of the cartoons and exhibits eliminated for royalties may again up this interpretation.
• I’ve my very own little purple flag that went up in the course of the now legendary earnings name when Zaslav referred to “the incomparable Chip and Joanna” – Chip and Joanna being the Gaines, a pair who’ve a present about residence adorning that’s identified for – I’m not making this up – their nice style in siding and drywall. I’m previous, and in my day “incomparable” was saved for crooners like Dionne Warwick, not home flippers. The Gaines have already signed a content material take care of WBD, as a result of I suppose they know extra about what center America desires than JJ Abrams, Brice Timm and Matt Reeves.
• There’s SO MUCH extra – the funeral screenings of Batgirl, actor Ivory Aquino’s tearful, desperate plea for them not to DESTROY EVERY COPY OF THE MOVIE, and on and on and on. And additionally the truth that Lin might be the seventh or eighth particular person employed to be “The DC Feige,” the final one being the Walter Hamada that he’s most probably changing.
So yeah….ought to he be employed, Lin has his work minimize out for him! Chief amongst his duties, seemingly convincing his boss that as many individuals like Batman as take pleasure in watching folks apply pineapple-shaped wall stickers.
To be continued…
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