David Zaslav Says James Gunn's MAN OF TOMRROW Looks "Amazing" as DC Stays the Course After SUPERGIRL Bombed
After the disappointing theatrical run of Supergirl, a lot of fans have been wondering if Warner Bros. Discovery would rethink its game plan for DC Studios. Apparently, that isn't happening.
During Warner Bros. Discovery's latest earnings call, CEO David Zaslav made it clear that the studio isn't changing course, even after Supergirl crashed at the box office. Instead, all eyes are now on Man of Tomorrow, which is currently in development under the direction of James Gunn.
When asked if DC's strategy had shifted following Supergirl's poor performance, Zaslav pointed directly to Gunn's next Superman film and sounded incredibly confident about what he's seeing.
He said: “James is focused on Man of Tomorrow. I saw some pictures yesterday that looked amazing. Actually, yesterday was James’s birthday, and he’s out working. He’s working 16, 18 hours a day. It looks fantastic. We’re super excited about it.”
That's certainly the kind of confidence fans want to hear, though Zaslav does have a history of getting excited about upcoming DC movies.
Before The Flash hit theaters in 2023, he famously praised the film, telling investors he "loved" it and calling it "a wow." We all know how that turned out, as the movie ended up becoming one of DC's biggest financial disappointments.
Still, Gunn has earned a lot more trust from fans than most of DC's previous creative leadership, so there's good reason to be optimistic that Man of Tomorrow will deliver.
The studio certainly needs a win after Supergirl melted down at the global box office. The film pulled in just $126 million worldwide after its June release, a result that also weighed down Warner Bros. Discovery's second-quarter financial performance. It made comparisons with the studio's much stronger 2025 slate even tougher than expected.
Honestly, Supergirl was such a missed opportunity. There was so much potential to make an awesome Supergirl movie, but the creative team simply told the wrong story that clearly didn't connect with moviegoers. It's frustrating because Supergirl deserves so much better than what ended up on screen.
Even with that setback, Zaslav insists DC Studios remains in a strong position. Along with Man of Tomorrow, the studio has Clayface and Lanterns on the way. He also shared an update on another highly anticipated project, saying he recently spoke with Matt Reeves, who is "working very hard" on the long-awaited sequel to The Batman.
Looking ahead, Zaslav said: “We have a robust pipeline, and Peter and James are hard at work.”
Back in 2022, Zaslav brought Peter Safran and Gunn onboard as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios with the goal of rebuilding the brand. The success of Superman in 2025 and HBO's The Penguin gave fans hope that DC had finally found solid footing.
What surprises me most is the idea that there hasn't been any strategic shift after Supergirl failed so spectacularly. It's hard to believe studio executives didn't gather in a room and have some serious conversations about what went wrong and how they can keep something like that from happening again.
Maybe the overall roadmap hasn't changed, but you'd have to think there were plenty of discussions about the kinds of stories they want to tell moving forward.
As for Man of Tomorrow, I'm definitely looking forward to it. Gunn has shown he can tell compelling superhero stories when everything clicks, and hopefully this ends up being another one of those films.
It would be a real shame if Man of Tomorrow also stumbled. The franchise could really use another big win, and fans are certainly hoping Man of Tomorrow is the movie that keeps DC heading in the right direction.
Source: Deadline