In the wake of the Kevin Tsujihara sex scandal, WarnerMedia announces its new CEO for Warner Bros. with Ann Sarnoff, the first female in its history to hold the title. Sarnoff, who is currently the president of BBC Studios Americas, has been named as the new Chair and CEO of Warner Bros and will oversee …
Following the recent criticisms for the DC brand, which includes the recent notion that Ben Affleck’s Batman movie is in trouble, the director leaving Flash, and poor critical acclaim for Batman Vs. Superman and Suicide Squad, it’s learned things are all not as bad as they seem. WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara praises the DC brand …
WB CEO Praises Wonder Woman, Batman Vs. Superman, Suicide Squad and More Read More »
Update: Patty Jeknins fires back at the rumors.
Original story:
Is it Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad all over again?
According to an alleged former Warner Bros. employee, things aren’t looking good for Wonder Woman as well.
An open letter (more of a rant) to WB Ceo Kevin Tsujihara goes off about the current state of WB and the DC movies.
The person that penned the rant, posted to pajiba, goes on to complain about all the layoffs at Warner Bros. blaming Kevin Tsujihara for them because of his poor decision making resulting in a string of movies that have all flopped.
You just don’t get it. And it’s not just DC movies, it’s your whole slate. Jupiter Ascending. Get Hard. Hot Pursuit. Max. Vacation. Pan. Point Break. Fucking PAN, you jerk. People lost their jobs and you decided Pan was a good idea. You think another Jungle Book is a good idea.
Regarding the DC movies, it seems that Suicide Squad was the last straw for the writer of the article.
I kept holding off on doing anything with it because of one title: Suicide Squad. Zack Snyder’s Dawn of Justice was a fiasco, but here comes this plucky little dark adventure about antiheroes. I love David Ayer. I love Harley Quinn. I love Will Smith. Put the letter in a drawer. The ship isn’t sinking anymore. Everything is fine. There’s no way this movie is bad.
And here we are. I got back from my screening and dusted this sucker off. You, your executive team, and the vision of your ‘extraordinary storytellers’ that resulted in the loss of around one thousand jobs seem intent on crashing the ship into as much shit as you can find in the ocean by making inane decisions over and over again.
Regarding, Wonder Woman, the writer pens to Tsujihara:
What are you even doing? I wish to God you were forced to live out of a car until you made a #1 movie of the year. Maybe Wonder Woman wouldn’t be such a mess. Don’t try to hide behind the great trailer. People inside are already confirming it’s another mess. It is almost impressive how you keep rewarding the same producers and executives for making the same mistakes, over and over.
Zack Snyder also takes some blame:
Zack Snyder is not delivering. Is he being punished? Assistants who were doing fantastic work certainly were. People in finance and in marketing and in IT. They had no say in a movie called Batman V Superman only having 8 minutes of Batman fighting Superman in it, that ends because their moms have the same name. Snyder is a producer on every DC movie. He is still directing Justice League. He is being rewarded with more opportunity to get more people laid off. I’m assuming you yourself haven’t been financially affected in any real way. You and your studio are the biggest lesson about life one can learn: The top screws up and the bottom suffers. Peter Jackson phones it in and a marketing supervisor has to figure out a plan B for house payments.
“Wonder Woman” has a June 2, 2017 release directed by Patty Jenkins starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen.
Synopsis:
Wonder Woman hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
It’s confirmed Ben Affleck will both direct and star in a new standalone Batman movie.
Affleck also wrote the script with DC Entertainment chief creative officer and comic book writer Geoff Johns.
Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara confirmed the news Tuesday at CinemaCon, stating WB is movie forward with the Affleck Batman movie.
Kevin Tsujihara also had good things to say about the record opening of Batman Vs. Superman, which leads into Justice League.
“It set up a great foundation for our DC slate, which includes at least 10 movies through 2020,” Tsujihara told a packed room, reports THR. “I’m also excited to know that we will be working with Ben Affleck on a stand-alone Batman movie.”
Previously it was reported that Ben Affleck was only contracted to do two more movies following Batman Vs. Superman with Justice League parts 1 and 2, but obviously now we see Affleck and WB have extended the Batman deal. Ben Affleck is also appearing in August’s Suicide Squad movie.
The new Batman movie has yet to have a release date, but WB did just announce release dates for two DC movies – Oct. 5, 2018, and Nov. 1, 2019 – with one more than likely for Affleck’s Caped Crusader film.
Warner Bros. also showed off a DC Cinematic reel at CinemaCon which was introduced by Amy Adams (Lois Lane).
“You get your first real taste of this expanding universe,” Warners film chief Greg Silverman said in the clip.
Earlier rumors surrounding the solo Batman movie have mentioned the Red Hood.
Here is the current release dates for the DC movies:
August 05, 2016 – Suicide Squad
June 02, 2017 – Wonder Woman
November 17, 2017 – Justice League Part One
March 23, 2018 – The Flash
July 27, 2018 – Aquaman
October 05, 2018 – Untitled DC Film
June 14, 2019 – Justice League Part Two
November 01, 2019 – Untitled DC Film
April 03, 2020 – Cyborg
June 19, 2020 – Green Lantern Corps
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We get some commentary on Batman Vs. Superman and the Justice League movie universe from Ben Affleck as the actor recently spoke to Variety.
First up, Affleck admitted there is a lot of pressure in regards to Batman Vs. Superman.
“I think there is a ton of pressure on it. I mean I would be bulls—ting you to say there isn’t.”
Affleck also commented on WB’s less than stellar performance this year at the box office and thinks there will be a turnaround next year due to the DC movies, stating they will be “massive.”
“You’ll see next year they are going to have a great year. They are now developing … probably the single greatest under-exploited IP asset in the entertainment business, the DC comic world. And now they have started to exploit that and you are going to see that blossom. And, when it does, it’s going to be massive.”
The article also noted that Affleck’s schedule was rearranged to accomodate the Justice League movie and a spinoff film, which is thought to be a new standalone Batman movie.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” has a March 25, 2016 release starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ray Fisher as Cyborg with Callan Mulvey, Holly Hunter as Senator Finch and Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves. Justice League is to follow directed by Zack Snyder as well.
Synopsis:
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Batman Vs. Superman Trailer:
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Prior to teaming with Ben Affleck in Batman Vs. Superman, Henry Cavill is teaming with the 2008 Justice League Batman, Armie Hammer, for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Both Cavill and Hammer were in attendance in Las Vegas for the WB presentation.
Regarding Batman Vs. Superman, Cavill stated, in the below video, he might be attending Comic-Con this July, but noted “things can change” with a a smile. Cavill also side-stepped questioning in regards to how Batman Vs. Superman was different than filming Man of Steel. Man From UNCLE co-star Armie Hammer then asked Cavill about working with Ben Affleck, with Cavill replying, he is “very excited, actually.” The two then went on to joke about not answering any more questions.
Update: A second video of Cavill from the event has surfaced (see below) where he offers he has seen just a little bit more of the Batman Vs. Superman footage, but says it wasn’t much as it was in black-and-white. Cavill also says he wouldn’t call it a Superman sequel: “This is Batman versus Superman. It’s a separate entity altogether. It’s introducing the Batman character and expanding upon the universe, which was kicked off by Man of Steel. It’s definitely an introduction to the character and ultimately an introduction to Justice League.”
At the WB presentation, Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujijara spoke to the exhibitors reiterating WB’s plans to release ten DC Comic book movies starting with 2016’s Batman Vs. Superman with more movies all the way to 2020. Tsujijara also made mention of the recently announced three LEGO movies and also said at least three Harry Potter spinoffs of the Fantastic Beasts series will be released, with the first due out November 2016. Following the presentation, the Batman Vs. Superman trailer was shown to the audience.
“While tentpoles and franchises are important to us and to you they are just one part of what we do. We’re also very excited about the wide variety of comedies, dramas, action adventures and horror films that we’re making,” Tsujijara said. “These films allow us to reach broad and underserved audiences and they create the opportunity for breakout hits like The Lego Movie, The Conjuring and that little film that exceeded everyone’s expectations, American Sniper… We’re committed to bringing you great films throughout the year, not just the summer and holidays…this time next year I will be here, or somebody who replaces me, will be talking about the great success we had with Pan in October.”
“The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” has an August 14, 2015 release; “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” hits March 25, 2016.
Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer images from CinemaCon:
The Men from U.N.C.LE. #ArmieHammer #HenryCavill #ManFromUNCLE #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/5z4BWXv8K6
— Warner Bros Pictures (@wbpictures) April 22, 2015
#henryCavill looking great at #cinemacon @HenryCavillAlw1 pic.twitter.com/hNcLxEgVW5
— ѕтəlla (@stella_324) April 22, 2015
More pics via @accesshollywood “Henry Cavill said this was his first selfie EVER!” Ummm… http://t.co/dGM8tlNTvq pic.twitter.com/SmzEBPSKXo
— Henry Cavill (@HenryCavillONL) April 22, 2015
Batman vs Superman Trailer:
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With Marvel releasing the awesome trailer for The Avengers 2 today, it was only a matter of time before the direct competition fired back.
Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference today and addressed superhero movies.
“The key thing is that the movies and the television shows and the games, everything looks very different …you have to be able to take advantage of the diversity of these characters,” Tsujihara said in response to the notion that the business is suffering from “superhero fatigue,” reports Variety.
While DC is building a shared movie universe of their own, which kicked off with Man of Steel, Tsujihara says DC and Marvel are different.
“The worlds of DC are very different,” he said. “They’re steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”
Tsujihara noted that it’s easy to promote a superhero movie because lots of different people are already familiar with them.
“The big franchises are becoming more and more valuable,” said Tsujihara. “You don’t have to explain to the consumer what a Batman v Superman is.”
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” has a March 25, 2016 release starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ray Fisher as Cyborg with Callan Mulvey, Holly Hunter and Tao Okamoto in new character roles for the film. Justice League is to follow directed by Zack Snyder as well.
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At an annual meeting for Time Warner, it’s stated that announcements regarding the future of the DC movies will be coming soon.
DC Comics President Diane Nelson responded to questioning regarding WB’s strategy, and the fact that it is lagging behind Disney and Marvel, by stating Warner Bros. is “trying to differentiate from Marvel” adding their strategy “will become apparent soon.”
Nelson also said DC is aiming to create properties that will appeal to young girls, which is a priority for them.
WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara is said to have acknowledged that DC has not done as well as Marvel, but he promised that shareholders will be “happy and proud” down the road (via LA Times).
It’s speculated and rumored that Warner Bros. will be announcing their upcoming slate of DC Movies at Comic-Con, which may include movies for Wonder Woman, Man Of Steel 2 and more.
Batman Vs. Superman comes out in 2016 followed by Justice League (both directed by Zack Snyder), with it thought character specific movies will then be launched, which is different than the “Marvel Way” of building up to a big event movie.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:10989:]]First announced last year back in September, the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will now be a trilogy.
Described as “three megamovies,” Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara announced the update with some details mentioned (via NY Times).
It’s said the main character will be a “magizoologist” named Newt Scamander. The new spinoff franchise is also said to neither be prequels or sequels, and will start in New York about 70 years before the arrival of Harry Potter.
Details from the previous press released also mention:
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.
“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”
If you are not familiar with the book, head on over to Amazon to pick up “Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them.”
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Ben Affleck confirms what was previously said about the new Caped Crusader in Batman Vs. Superman in that the Dark Knight will be a seasoned veteran.
Previously, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara described the new Batman as “tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for awhile.”
Now Ben Affleck tells 411Mania that is a proper description.
“Yes, Kevin described it aptly,” Affleck said. “I don’t want to go further because I want to be able to capitalize on what is new about this iteration by having it be a surprise to the audience.”
Regarding that surprise to the audience, Ben Affleck also goes on to state that Zack Snyder’s vision for the new Batman is different than Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s, but will still be keeping with what fans know in regards to the myth of the Batman.
“Initially I was reluctant as I felt I didn’t fit the traditional mold but once Zack showed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris and Christian made but still in keeping with tradition I was excited,” Affleck said about donning the cape and cowl. “Doing something different and new is always tricky and part of the thrill and the risk is that initially it confounds expectations. The truth is, it’s the movie and the execution of it is what all the actors depend on and I believe in Zack’s vision.”
The sequel to “Man of Steel” goes into production next year for a July 17, 2015 release also starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
For more news on the “Man of Steel” and related movies head on over to the Cosmic Book News Superman movie hub.
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Don’t think Wonder Woman has been placed on the back burner after the CW put “Amazon” on hold or that NBC didn’t go forward with the Adrianne Palicki series.
Actually on the contrary it seems as if Warner Bros. is still trying to find a place for Wonder Woman more than ever as WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara lets it be known they need to get the character in front of audiences.
“We need to get Wonder Woman on the big screen or TV,” said Tsujihara while taking part at a lunchtime keynote interview at the USC Gould School of Law.
Tsujihara is also quoted as saying their lack of superhero movies other than Batman and Superman has been a “missed opportunity” but did mention there are “huge plans for a number of other DC properties on TV” (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Regarding those properties on TV, Warner Bros. recently announced The Flash being a part of Arrow Season 2, as well as getting his own spinoff series, and most recently announced the Batman prequel Jim Gordon series with Gotham. Season 2 of Arrow also features many DC characters including Prof. Ivo, possibly Amazo, Bronze Tiger, China White and more.
Two weeks ago also saw Tsujihara mention multiple DC movies are being placed into development; that the new Batman, played by Ben Affleck, will be a seasoned veteran, and that they think it will be huge.
Max Landis of Chronicle fame also stated he plans on pitching Warner Bros. a Wonder Woman movie.
For more news on the “Man of Steel” and related movies head on over to the Cosmic Book News Superman movie hub.
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Previously, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara let it be known at an investors meeting that the new Ben Affleck Batman would be a seasoned veteran, and now new details have become known about the direction of the DC movie universe.
Yahoo has a transcript of the investors meeting with Kevin Tsujihara being questioned by Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Jessica Reif. The transcript doesn’t look to be all that well transcribed, but there seems to be enough present to understand.
Tsujihara lets it be known that multiple DC movies are being planned as he notes the basis of WB’s 12-14 movies will have the DC characters as the foundation.
Then you have 12 to 14 pictures coming from Warner Bros. And I think the basis, foundation of those 12 to 14 pictures are going to be coming from DC Entertainment. We have Batman versus Superman coming out in ’15, but those are going to be in the coming months a lot of announcements regarding kind of the future movie, television, games and consumer product pieces that are going to be coming from DC.
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Tsujihara continues with mention of Ben Affleck and the Batman Vs. Superman movie. Note: I believe “Jake” is supposed to be director Zack [Snyder], and the “15” mentioned is the year 2015, otherwise it would be read as “the next 15 movies,” but Tsujihara just stated above 12-14. At least that is my reading of it.
We couldn’t be happier about the movie that Jake and with Chris Nolan’s help can be created. It was a total reboot of the Man of Steel or Superman and it really gives credibility to that character and Henry did a great job. It’s a perfect springboard to then move into next 15, we think Jake is going to be directing Batman and Superman. Batman, in the movie we haven’t titled it yet and we are really excited about the fact that we were able to convince Ben to play Batman. It is a perfect for the role and it’s going to be a Batman that you’ve absolutely never seen before, he’s kind of tired and kind of weary, he’s been doing this for a while and Ben is the exact perfect for the vision that Jake has for that character and the fact that you saw such a passionate response and that is really kind of a testament to the love that people have for this character and it’s really exciting to see kind of where this is going and exact vision of how he’s going to put that movie together. We think it’s going to be huge.
Interestingly enough, the source close to Warner Bros. that told us Bryan Cranston is cast as Lex Luthor also told us a lot is leading up to the Justice League movie. Cosmic Book News is also told that Bryan Cranston signed on for 6-10 movies with Ben Affleck signing a multi-picture deal as well, possibly as high as 13. We are told Warner Bros. wants to create a more connected world than what Marvel has done.
Tsujihara also states DC will be the focus of things related to video games and more.
And as you said it’s being driven – the new franchises that we are going to be zoning are going to be DC franchises. We think there is big opportunities to build off of what we are doing throughout the rest of the company in games as well.
And as I said, we are number one in – we are really well positioned for that transition on the home entertainment side and with the DC pushing, if you are in consumer products and games we think there is opportunities there as well. So we are able to get some margin expansion also through the digital initiatives and continuing to look for ways to be more efficient and we are very confident that we can grow this business going forward.
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We get our first official character description for the new Ben Affleck Batman from Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara.
Tsujihara gave the new Batman description at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media investor gathering.
The WB CEO offered (via Variety):
The new Batman will be “tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for awhile” as well as adding that Ben Affleck is “perfect” for the film that Zack Snyder is doing.
Regarding Man of Steel, Tsujihara stated that the studio “could not be happier” about its box office performance, currently at $660 million worldwide, adding, “we think it’s the perfect springboard for Batman and Superman.”
And about the untitled Batman Vs. Superman movie, Tsujihara offered, “We think it’s going to be huge.”
Tsujihara also noted there will be “a lot of announcements” surrounding DC Comics with specific mention of their three animated shows.
The new Batman being a seasoned veteran seems to contradict earlier statements made by writer David Goyer who previously stated the following about Man of Steel: “There are other superheroes in this world. But I don’t know that they’ve come forward yet. The idea is that Superman is the first one. There might be people helping people, but not in costumes, and that Superman comes forward and announces himself to the world. In him announcing himself, he’s the one that changes things.”
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With the new Ben Affleck Batman having done “it for a while” it suggests the Gotham City Caped Crusader has obviously been around a long time. It should be interesting to see how they deal with the fact that no Batman was mentioned in Man of Steel (where was Batman?) or made an appearance for that matter. It may also suggest that a full-blown origin story for Batman is not in the cards (as Nolan just did it with Batman Begins).
Goyer’s comments also suggest – as has been previously mentioned and what Zack Snyder seemed to insinuate – is that Warner Bros. went in a different direction than what Goyer and Snyder originally intended. Snyder and Goyer wanted more Superman, but Warner Bros. obviously went with Batman.
It remains to be seen just how much Batman.
The sequel to “Man of Steel” goes into production next year for a July 17, 2015 release starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
For more news on the “Man of Steel” and related movies head on over to the Cosmic Book News Superman movie hub.
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A new report has surfaced explaining more reasons why Warner Bros. decided to go with Ben Affleck as the new Batman.
The Hollywood Reporter offers some insights as to the internal thoughts behind bringing Ben Affleck on board.
Earlier this year a new Warner Bros. CEO was named with Kevin Tsujihara, who ousted the head of WB Movies with Jeff Robinov. The report states that bringing Ben Affleck on board relieves the uneasiness some of the talent felt with all the changes (Legendary and Thomas Tull were ousted as well). It’s said Ben Affleck as Batman shows the studio is publicly behind one of their signature actors.
It’s also stated the Christopher Nolan situation had a large hand in getting Ben Affleck for Batman. It’s said Nolan offered Man of Steel to Affleck, which Affleck declined to direct. The report states Nolan had a large role in the Man of Steel with post-production as well as bringing Zack Snyder on board. Apparently, Snyder was the one who reached out to Affleck. It’s also said with Nolan busy shooting Interstellar, that Affleck’s talents as a director and actor will be beneficial on set (in our own report we were told WB loved Affleck’s dedication as an actor and director).
Perhaps the biggest reason for Ben Affleck deciding to do Batman is that the pressure really isn’t on him as much. THR notes that since the 2015 movie is a sequel to Man of Steel, that any potential under performance issues won’t land on his shoulders. While it’s not specifically stated in the article, Superman fans can assume that the movie will be more focused on the Henry Cavill storyline (seeing it’s a sequel).
Now regarding Henry Cavill, THR states that Henry Cavill is not thought of as an actor who can carry a franchise, as he is still up-and-coming. They even go so far as to state that Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe were the strong draws of Man of Steel, but now that the characters are dead, there is a need for someone who can carry a movie. Enter Ben Affleck.
The report also states Ben Affleck as Batman lines him up to star and potentially direct Justice League (our report stated Affleck made a huge impression with WB regarding the Justice League talks).
The sequel to “Man of Steel” goes into production next year for a July 17, 2015 release also starring Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
For more news on the “Man of Steel” and related movies head on over to the Cosmic Book News Superman movie hub.
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As expected, Thomas Tull, and his Legendary Entertainment, have parted ways with Warner Bros. and is currently in talks with Sony, Fox Studios and Universal for a new distribution and co-financing deal.
The news isn’t that surprising as there has been mention of a rocky relationship between the two for the past few months, as well as the fact that Tull hired former Warner Bros. Television chief Bruce Rosenblum, who joined Legendary as president of TV and digital media.
Current WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara is said to be responsible for Rosenblum’s departure.
Variety cites the reason for Legendary leaving is DC Entertainment, specifically the movies, as Warner Bros. wants to retain control of the future DC movies.
Tull’s Legendary Entertainment shared in the success of Nolan’s Batman franchise as well as the Man of Steel, as Tull co-financed the productions.
It’s said WB wants to retain the profits, something similar it has done with other tentpoles like Harry Potter.
Regarding the future of Legendary Entertainment, it’s being reported that Universal looks to be the best option as Universal has more of what Tull wants, which is a studio that has access to more than just films, with TV shows, digital content and comic books as well.
A deal with Universal could give Tull and his future productions access to the likes of Universal Studios Theme Parks as well as NBC.
While it hasn’t been stated that outgoing WB film president Jeff Robinov’s departure was a part of the reason, Robinov backed projects that Legendary co-financed with WB including the Nolan films as well as The Hangover. Nolan’s latest big-budget film, Interstellar, is now at Paramount, with WB only partially involved.
Warners recently announced Robinov’s replacement, which is a “new leadership team” that will directly report to Tsujihara; see below for more.
Press Release
Warner Bros. Entertainment Announces New Leadership for Warner Bros. Pictures Group
(June 24, 2013 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced a new leadership team to run Warner Bros. Pictures Group, capitalizing on the proven strengths of a number of longtime Studio executives. Sue Kroll will now serve as President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; Greg Silverman will now serve as President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Toby Emmerich will continue as President and COO, New Line Cinema, while adding responsibility for Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures. The announcement was made today by Kevin Tsujihara, CEO, Warner Bros., to whom all three executives will report.
Working closely with the management team, Dan Fellman, whose contract has been extended, will continue in his role as President, Domestic Distribution, reporting directly to Tsujihara. Veronika Kwan Vandenberg will continue as President, International Distribution, and ultimately assume responsibility for worldwide distribution, taking on the domestic distribution function upon the planned retirement of Fellman. Kwan Vandenberg will report to Kroll who, in addition to her marketing and distribution responsibilities, will continue to be involved in all aspects of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and New Line Cinema’s releases.
“Warner Bros. is the world’s preeminent motion picture studio with one of the most talented executive benches in the industry,” said Tsujihara. “Collectively, this team has more than 100 years at the company and broad experience across the film business, which will ensure that Warner Bros. Pictures continues as a respected leader in production, marketing and global distribution. I have every confidence that we will continue to deliver the industry’s most compelling, popular and successful movies.”
“This marks an exciting new chapter in the storied history of Warner Bros. Pictures,” said Barry Meyer, Chairman, Warner Bros. “We are in the midst of another terrific year, and our film division will continue to thrive well into the future under this realigned organization.”
Kroll was named President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures in January 2008 and has led enormously successful campaigns for a broad range of motion pictures, including most recently “Man of Steel,” “The Great Gatsby” and last year’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, “Argo.” Other prominent campaigns include the billion-dollar blockbusters “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” as well as “Inception” and the final installments of the Harry Potter series.
Silverman has been President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures since April 2011 and played a key role in recent box-office successes, including “The Great Gatsby,” directed by Baz Luhrmann, “Argo” from director Ben Affleck and “The Dark Knight Rises,” directed by Christopher Nolan. As a creative executive, Silverman also shepherded the commercially successful and critically acclaimed “300,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Hangover” and the global phenomenon “Inception,” among other films.
As President and COO of New Line Cinema since March 2008, and President of Production for seven years prior to that, Emmerich has overseen such diverse features as the Academy Award-winning blockbuster “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and 2005’s highest-grossing comedy, “Wedding Crashers,” as well as “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Horrible Bosses,” the “Journey” franchise and the “Final Destination” films.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:8888:]]With the Man of Steel debuting to a record June opening, news comes exactly a week later that Jeff Robinov is exiting Warner Bros.
Deadline reports that Robinov is leaving on his own terms after not receiving an offer for a new contract, of which his current one expires in December.
It’s reported that new Warner Bros. Chairman Kevin Tsujihara gave Robinov the “cold shoulder treatment” at the recent Man of Steel premiere, with it also said Tsujihara didn’t even call to congratulate Robinov on the film’s success.
Tsujihara is also said to be responsible for the recent departure of the head of WB TV, Bruce Rosenblum.
Note: Both Rosenblum and Robinov were contenders for the position Tsujihara was appointed to.
What this exactly means for the future of WB Movies or the DC slate of superhero movies is unknown, but Robinov was responsible for bringing in Christopher Nolan, David Goyer, Zack Snyder, and greenlighting Batman Begins.
Interestingly enough, Nolan recently took his big-buget sci-fi movie, Interstellar, to Paramount; though it’s reported Nolan wanted WB on board because of his loyalties to Robinov, and not because of contention between the outgoing WB movie president and Kevin Tsujihara.
Furthermore, it’s been stated that Legendary Entertainment and Warners are on the outs as well, with it reported that Thomas Tull is loyal to Jeff Robinov. Tull’s Legendary co-financed the Batman movies and the Man of Steel. Recently, it came out that another co-financier was lined up for the Justice League movie and not Thomas Tull and Legendary.
Looking at the big picture it all begins to add up.
Christopher Nolan was recently asked if he was continuing his involvement with the DC movie universe, which he wouldn’t comment on.
Robinov is also said to be responsible for bringing Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Baz Luhrmann, Todd Phillips, and more to WB.
Regarding Robinov’s replacement, it seems as if everyone will be reporting to Kevin Tsujihara.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:5302:]]While it seems like we have been waiting an eternity for anything officially related to the Justice League movie, it turns out there is a reason as apparently it depends on how well the Man of Steel does at the box office.
Zack Snyder relaunches Superman this Spring with Henry Cavill in what looks to be a heavy science-fiction action-packed superhero epic.
Previous hints from Snyder have suggested that Cavill will go on to don the cape in the Justice League movie along side Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Wonder Woman.
Today saw the news of Kevin Tsujihara named as new CEO of Warner Bros, and among a report at Variety it’s stated (bold my own):
Stakes are high for “Man of Steel.” Other than Nolan’s Batpics, Warners has not been able to effectively exploit the DC library. Its 2011 “Green Lantern” underperformed, and a “Justice League” film wouldn’t likely be in theaters before 2015, as Warner’s top brass has indicated that they are awaiting the results of “Man of Steel,” which opens June 14, before moving further ahead.
An added factor to the delay could also have had to do with the fact that the head of Warner Bros. Films, Jeff Robinov, was also in contention for the CEO position.
A previous report from the LA Times suggested that the DC Comics properties were being hindered by the power-play that was taking place at Warner Bros., as three people were in contention for the CEO position, with Bruce Rosenblum, head of WB TV, rounding out the trio.
Robinov has been paramount to the success of Warner Bros. recent blockbuster films including Argo, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Hobbit, Sherlock Holmes and Inception.
Now that Robinov has been passed over it remains to be seen what affect – if any – it will have on WB’s movie properties, though it’s said he has a good relationship with the new CEO, Kevin Tsujihara. In addition, Robinov has several years on his contract.
Perhaps with all this behind, things will get underway rather quickly for the DC Comics movie properties which are said to include the above mentioned Man of Steel and Justice League Movie, in addition to a new Batman movie, possibly The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Lantern.
The news from Variety of the Justice League movie apparently not moving forward comes after our own DC Entertainment source recently provided us with information that it may be delayed until 2016.
We also recently heard the new Batman movie that is supposed to spinoff from it, which initially was said to be released in 2016, may now have a 2017 release.
So there looks to be a lot resting on Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill’s shoulders.