Concerning Info on How Warner Bros. Is Handling the DC Cinematic Universe
According to Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production at Warner Bros., “We’re on track to deliver a slate of films that will delight audiences everywhere thanks to the efforts of the many exceptionally talented people invested in the success of this universe.”
This is exactly what fanboys and fangirls around the world want to hear, and we all hope that the studio will deliver awesome superhero films that we will all enjoy. They have control of some of the most popular and beloved superhero characters of all time, and the fans want to see them get the movies they deserve. Who knows if that's what we are going to get, though?
THR has a very interesting article that sheds some light on what is going on behind the scenes of the development of these films, and it's kind of worrisome. BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield pointed out the obvious:
"Marvel has been an unbelievable platform for Disney to build and foster franchises. The question for Warners is, can they replicate that strategy using DC."
It has been pretty amazing to watch what Marvel has done. They have a great collaborative team over there developing the stories for their films. Everyone seems to be on the same page with what is happening, and they have a clear direction of where they are taking things. It doesn't sound like Warner Bros. has that same synergy.
It seems like the studio is trying to play catch-up and rushing things along without really thinking things through, other than they just want to make a bunch of superhero films to properties they own. A perfect example of this is how they handled Wonder Woman. They implemented an unorthodox strategy in which the studio hired five writers to compete for the writing job. Here THR explains how it went down:
"Each [writer] was given a treatment and asked to write a first act. Based on those efforts, the studio winnowed the number to two: Jason Fuchs (Pan) and another writer whose name the studio declines to reveal. A source not involved in the films but with close ties to the studio says the process on Wonder Woman 'felt like they were throwing shit against the wall to see what stuck.'"
That really doesn't inspired much confidence. The studio is handling Aquaman the same way, and they have commissioned three writers to develop scripts. Those writers include Will Beall, Jeff Nichols, and Kurt Johnstad. The film is currently on hold, but these writers will be available to them as soon as they are ready to proceed. I'm sure this is what they are planning to do with all of their upcoming slate of films.
I understand not everyone can be Marvel, and maybe this way of doing things will work out. I want to see Warner Bros. make spectacular superhero films. It's what all of us want to see. Only time will tell if that's what we'll get.
I hope it does! It just doesn't seem like the best way to form a universe because it tells me that they don't have any clear vision of where they want to take things. Make sure to check out the full article because it's really quite fascinating.
Do you think how they are going about scripting these films will work?