“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready”
That was pretty much David Zaslav’s answer when asked about the recent scrapping of Batgirl during an investor Q&A on the Warner Bros Discovery Q2 call.
While he didn’t specifically address the details of the latest Batgirl imbroglio which greatly upset many talent reps in town, Zaslav emphasized his commitment to building a ten-year plan for DC ala what former Disney motion picture group Boss and Marvel President Kevin Feige have built.
“Our ambition to is bring Warners back and produce great high quality films,” he said.
“We can build a long-term sustainable growth business out of DC” Zaslav continued “we’re not releasing a film before it’s ready.”
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“The focus is to make these films as good as possible,” the CEO added.
Zaslav emphasized the waste of money in making expensive direct-to-streaming movies. “There’s no comparison when you launch a film in motion picture theaters,” he continued. “Expensive films going to streaming…can’t find an economic value for it.”
Zaslav also indicated that there will be a “number of movies” being launched with “shorter windows.”
“We’ll always be agile,” he said, “But the focus will always be on theatrical.”
Deadline previously reported that Batgirl was killed by Warner Bros Discovery for several reasons: upsetting the DC multiverse that’s being mapped out heading into Flash next summer, the abandonment of made-for-HBO Max movies, and taking advantage of a “purchase accounting” maneuver available to the newly merged conglomerate.
Despite the tabloid mishaps of Flash star Ezra Miller, Zaslav made it known this afternoon he’s still behind the movie.
“We have seen The Flash, Black Adam and Shazam 2,” the CEO said, “We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better.”
Deadline heard recently from those who saw a test-marketing screening of Flash, that it’s indeed amazing especially as it involves Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmans in a multiverse on par with Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Flash will be released on June 23, 2023 while Black Adam with Dwayne Johnson will hit theaters on Oct. 21 this year and Shazam: Fury of the Gods will be released on Dec. 21.
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