Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Warner Bros. Discovery

  • David Zaslav Promises “Real Focus on Franchises” in Warner Bros. Discovery’s Future

    David Zaslav Promises “Real Focus on Franchises” in Warner Bros. Discovery’s Future

    Warner Bros. Discovery has been a big question mark in the industry at the moment, which has led to many questionable decisions. Originals from HBO Max were just pulled from the platform and not made available anywhere else, Batgirl and a Scoob! sequel was scrapped close before wrapping work on it. In the latest earning call, CEO David Zaslav gave a tease of where their future lies and it may raise a few flags. First off, he promises a “real focus on franchises” and highlights two major entries from their portfolio.

    We haven’t had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven’t had a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and the Harry Potter movies provided a lot of profits to Warner Bros motion pictures over the last 25 years. House of the Dragon is a big example of that; Game of Thrones, taking advantage of Sex and the City. Lord of the Rings — we still have the right to do Lord of the Rings movies

    David Zaslav

    There’s some confusion about his quotes, as Man of Steel was released in 2013, which was nine years ago, and technically Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a Superman-centric sequel, which was released in 2016. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was in theaters in 2011, which is eleven years ago, and technically we still got an entry in that Wizard World franchise with Fantastic Beats: The Secrets of Dumbledore this year. Not a very promising way to sell people on the belief in IP while not understanding how long it has been since they released.

    That isn’t all, as he also took his time to downplay the value gained by HBO Max and the use of original productions for the service. It seems that in his eyes, the viewership retention wasn’t strong enough on the streamer to justify its existence.

    We learned what doesn’t work. And this is what doesn’t work for us based on everything that we’ve seen: direct-to-streaming movies. So spending a billion dollars or collapsing a motion picture window into a streaming service. The movies that we launch in theater do significantly better, and launching a 2-hour, 40-minute movie direct to streaming has done nothing for HBO Max in terms of viewership, retention or love of the service.

    David Zaslav

    The quote does make you question the continued rise of investment in the market of streaming; Netflix even raised the budgets even higher due to the potential they see. The biggest comparison that may be the reason for this belief lies in the direct comparison to what Zaslav is used to, which is reality TV streaming. We might have apples to chainsaw type of comparison leading to the downplay of value gained from streaming originals.

    The entire library shouldn’t be on HBO Max and paid for by HBO Max. We have an extraordinary library: Friends, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men — there’s 15 or 20 series that are loved and nourishing the audience on a regular basis. But then there’s a huge number of series and movies that aren’t being used at all. If none of it’s being used, why aren’t we putting it on an AVOD where it will be used? We looked at what people are watching on Pluto and Tubi: They’re loving Rawhide and Bonanza. They’re not watching old series like Dynasty on Max. There is a platform where people have an expectation and what they want to watch, and we’ve been able to get a real vision into what people are consuming and ultimately that gives us a roadmap.

    David Zaslav

    There are many discussions on archiving media that streaming opened the potential to finally establish a home for those looking to revisit movies and TV shows they loft. It’s ironic that their own streaming platform proved the potential of legacy projects, Game of Thrones viewership saw an increase once House of the Dragon was released; highlighting a potential synergy on a streaming service. WBD’s current pure KPI-based decision making may be pushing their company to be even more sterile than what people have accused others in the streaming market of being. He even makes an oxymoron remark that the “golden age” isn’t over but also hints at focusing on saving costs on investment, taking no more risks.

    Source: Deadline, Deadline

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    There have been many discussions surrounding the decision of Warner Bros. Discovery in regards to Batgirl, and it seems like their CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels has quite a strong opinion about how it was portrayed online. According to him, it was “blown out of proportion” during the Bank of America Media, Communications, and Entertainment Conference. He had the following to say in regards to how the media has discussed it, as he believes “media likes to talk about media.”

    Media likes to talk about media, I guess. We have healthy relationships with talent, and we are offering one of the best platforms for anyone in the creative space.

    Gunnar Wiedenfels

    It’s certainly a high statement if one considers that Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock fall wasn’t because of a singular film. Plus, it’s vague enough to avoid any of the pitfalls that surrounded osm of the rather questionable decisions made, especially with not naming any talent involved with the project but speaking in broad strokes.

    Wiedenfles highlighted that they’ll continue to conduct “significant investments” on content but there is quite a bit more to this story. The sudden drop of animated originals and original HBO Max films from the platform revealed a rather questionable decision to save on taxes. There has not been a statement on any of the creatives that worked on Batgirl and for now the future still seems quite unsure.

    Source: Deadline

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Cancels DC FanDome for 2022

    Warner Bros. Discovery Cancels DC FanDome for 2022

    Warner Bros. Discovery will not be hosting a DC FanDome event for DC fans this year. The news comes courtesy of WBD, with the newly merged studio announcing it is excited to engage with fans at numerous comic cons around the world, but that FanDome is not happening.

    “With the return of in person events, Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to be able to engage with our fans live at numerous comic-cons around the world and will not be scheduling DC FanDome for 2022.”

    Warner Bros. Discovery

    DC FanDome first launched in 2020 thanks in part to COVID-19 making conventions impossible. The event ended up being an eight-hour live stream that saw some of DC’s biggest talent take part in the virtual event for fans to promote upcoming shows and films. While last year’s FanDome wasn’t as exciting, fans were hoping to see the event return this year.

    The decision to cancel FanDome for this year, however, shouldn’t be too surprising. Ahead of its presentation at San Diego Comic-Con in July, it was revealed Warner Bros. Discovery was seeking to cut costs by limiting the properties it brought to the event. In the past, Warner Bros. has been known to go all out with massive screens and talent signings for fans. This year, however, outside of small presentations on both Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, there wasn’t much in store for DC fans at SDCC. New York Comic Con is coming up next month and, per Comicbook.com, the studio is excepted to have some sort of presence at the convention. As it stands, though, it’s unclear whether those plans include a booth or a studio presence. 

    With a much larger release slate set for next year, perhaps DC FanDome will make a comeback. For now, fans can hope for some news from New York Comic Con in October.

    Source: Comicbook.

  • Ezra Miller Met With Warner Bros. Executives to Ensure ‘The Flash’ Isn’t Scrapped

    Ezra Miller Met With Warner Bros. Executives to Ensure ‘The Flash’ Isn’t Scrapped

    DC and Warner Bros. Discovery are in the headlines for many different reasons. While mostly the reception to whatever WB is currently up to has been quite negative, the drama surrounding Ezra Miller wasn’t helping. After scandals started piling on, many feared or wondered what exactly the future has in store for the long-in-development The Flash film. As it turns out, Miller has now had a sit-down with the studio executives to discuss everything that has been going on.

    There are no exact details on what was discussed in the meeting, but given the recent circumstances, it’s not hard to imagine. They sat down with executives Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca joined by their agent, who recently took over the motion picture division from Toby Emmerich. As many different issues are coming together and a project with a massive budget of $250M is on the line, there’s a lot to ensure.

    It seems that the potential scrapping of the project has also pushed Miller to seek help, which is a good sign and shows how committed they are to the character. It seems this was the first time they’ve talked since they took over the division especially as the film is still in its post-production stage. Warner Bros. Discovery believes in the project as it has tested as high as Christopher Nolan‘s Batman films, which is definitely something they are striving to ensure makes its way into theaters. So, here’s hoping everything works out moving forward.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Warner Bros. Discovery is Reportedly Low on Funds for the Year

    Warner Bros. Discovery is Reportedly Low on Funds for the Year

    With David Zaslav and his team overseeing the new Warner Bros. after the merger with Discovery, massive turnover and changes have been made for the film studio. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Batgirl get shelved, as well as the sequel to Scoob!, despite both of those films being well within the post-production process. Batgirl, Scoob!, and the countless content removed from HBO Max are the casualties of Warner Bros. Discovery trying to save money through tax write-offs. And now, following news that the studio was shuffling around more release dates, it appears Warner Bros. Discovery needs all the financial help it can get at the moment.

    The latest bit of news coming from Warner Bros are the delays of both Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, with Fury of the Gods moving to March 2023 and Aquaman moving to December 2023 respectively. This has been in line with the consistent delays of DC superhero films that have plagued the studio since the beginning of the pandemic. However, these moves have further indicated a large amount of financial turmoil for the studio according to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter.

    The revelation of Warner Bros. Discovery only having the financial capital to release two films for the remaining near-half year of 2022 is certainly damning. It indicates a massive rocky road that Zaslav will have to try and navigate without, in theory, “rocking the boat” too much more. If that isn’t possible, the company could be forced to face even more upheaval despite being within this dire state for a considerable time. The financial sacrifices they’ve made thus far have caused some level of alienation with the creative base of Hollywood, and Warner Bros Discovery will have to tread carefully to remain in the upper echelon of the American film hierarchy.

    If there is any solace, Don’t Worry Darling and Black Adam both hold the potential to be relatively successful breadwinners for Warner Bros. Discovery. After all, Don’t Worry Darling has held a decently strong marketing campaign highlighting the intrigue of Olivia Wilde’s sophomore directorial feature. In addition, the all-star cast led by the likes of Florence Pugh and Harry Styles could drive audiences to theaters. Meanwhile, Warner Bros is certainly hoping that Black Adam can serve as a much-needed kickstart for a direction that the studio can take with its DC Extended Universe. It remains to be seen if Dwyane Johnson’s portrayal of the titular character alongside the Justice Society of America can change the narrative of the struggling franchise.

    Source: Twitter.

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Held Screenings of ‘Batgirl’ for the Cast and Crew

    Warner Bros. Discovery Held Screenings of ‘Batgirl’ for the Cast and Crew

    Weeks after canceling Batgirl, Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly held screenings of the film on the studio lot. The news comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, with the outlet reporting that the secret screenings were for people who worked on the film, both cast and crew, as well as representatives and executives. According to the outlet, many have referred to the screenings as “funeral screenings,” held before the film is ultimately locked away forever.

    News of the screenings comes days after directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah revealed they no longer had access to the film. After trying to recover some of the footage from the canceled film, the duo found that everything had been removed from the server. At the time, it was thought the studio had already deleted all footage from Batgirl, that appears to not be the case, though. It’s thought that Warner Bros. Discovery might actually opt to destroy all footage from Batgirl in order to prove to the IRS that the studio will never receive any revenue from the film following the requested tax write-off. Of course, there’s also the potential that the studio will just decide to lock the footage away in a vault, much like with the canceled Game of Thrones spinoff pilot, Bloodmoon.

    In recent weeks, many have speculated whether or not Batgirl could be reborn ala Zack Snyder’s Justice League. However, the latter’s original footage was still accessible by the director after he departed the film due to a personal tragedy. With El Arbi and Fallah no longer having access to their footage, and the film being a tax write-off, that seems incredibly unlikely.

    Source: THR.

  • Matt Reeves Signs Multi-Year First Look Film Deal with Warner Bros Discovery

    Matt Reeves Signs Multi-Year First Look Film Deal with Warner Bros Discovery

    Warner Bros Discovery looks to have made a statement in its future and trust towards what Matt Reeves is creatively bringing to the table with The Batman and beyond. Deadline has announced that the director has signed a first-look film deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and has re-upped with the Warner Bros. television division. This is the first deal of its kind under the new regime at the long-stalwart Hollywood studio. Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, alongside Warner Bros Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey, were the notable pieces that negotiated this deal with Reeves. In a statement, the director spoke about his excitement to continue working with Warner Bros. and this more pronounced capacity.

    Making this legendary studio my home is a dream. I am so excited to be working with Mike, Pam, and Channing and our teams to bring captivating stories I am truly passionate about to the big and small screen.

    Matt Reeves

    Alongside Reeves, Michael De Luca provided a statement giving high praise to the director and the deal made.

    Pam and I gratefully inherited the relationship with Matt from The Batman, and through the beginning stages of planning The Penguin series for HBO Max. We were excited to nail down his overall deal because it’s a cornerstone of what we want to do with the filmmakers that are working at the studio. We want to create an atmosphere where all of these filmmakers can excel and do their work and stay with us once they are inside the Warner’s family. Keeping Matt and creating a home for him to do more projects in the Batman universe but also originals, was very important to us.

    Michael De Luca

    This type of first-look deal suggests that Warner Bros. views Matt Reeves in high regard and intends for his vision of creative projects to be a cornerstone for the future of their projects. This should certainly be promising news for fans of The Batman. While the sequel has yet to be officially green-lit, there shouldn’t have been any doubt that it will be moving forward (even with the brouhaha transpiring at the studio in the past few weeks). The question now will be how deep into the lore of this new Batman-based universe will be explored with Reeves at the helm, and what other franchises audiences may expect to see the writer and director oversee in the future.

    Source: Deadline 

  • ‘Batgirl’ Directors Claim Warner Bros. Discovery Deleted All Their Footage

    ‘Batgirl’ Directors Claim Warner Bros. Discovery Deleted All Their Footage

    Probably the single-most talked about film in recent weeks has been Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi‘s Batgirl, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been because of anything good. The project was shelved unexpectedly late in its development process by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who felt the production was not worth release. Reports have indicated the decision was made final because the film’s cancellation would result in corporate tax write-offs for the company, though Warner Bros. Discovery themselves have claimed the move was instead meant to protect the DC Films brand. Either way, Batgirl has immediately become one of history’s greatest lost films, and according to the directors, it may now be impossible for fans to ever catch a glimpse of what was.

    In a recent Tik Tok interview, translated by The Direct, Fallah candidly revealed that all the footage from Batgirl was destroyed following its cancellation. Fallah revealed he personally attempted to salvage some of his work via cell phone recordings, but he was too late. After being asked if he had any evidence of his time on the film, he explained:

    No, we have nothing. Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead! Shoot everything on your phone!’ I went on the server… Everything was gone. We were [like]… ‘F**ing shit!’… We did not [even] keep [the scenes] with Batman in it.

    Bilall Fallah

    The film was set to star Leslie Grace as the title character, with Michael Keaton returning to his iconic role as Batman. J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, and Ivory Aquino were also cast in major supporting roles. Fallah went on to state Warner Bros. Discovery had informed himself and El Arbi that none of the talent involved were the reason behind the cancellation:

    The guys from Warner Bros. told us it was not a talent problem on our part or the actress [Leslie Grace], or even the quality of the movie. We were right in the middle of editing. There was a lot of work to get done, so it was not like the movie was finished! Warner Bros. told us the cancellation was a strategic change, a shifting in management so they could save some bucks.

    Bilall Fallah

    The duo did end their interview on a more positive note, however, with El Arbi vocalizing their love for the fans and their hope that Batgirl might still somehow see a release someday. He said in response to the outpouring of fan support online and in person:

    It was very heartwarming… After all, we make movies. And we make it for the audience. Not us. We just hope that one day, the movie can be released.

    Adil El Arbi

    Source: The Direct

  • Hall of Murphy: Episode 20 – ‘Batgirl’ & Warner Bros. Discovery’s Future

    Hall of Murphy: Episode 20 – ‘Batgirl’ & Warner Bros. Discovery’s Future

    Warner Bros. Discovery has seemingly been on a warpath with its DC projects. So, it’s hard not to get the band together to discuss all things Warner Bros., the fallout from randomly canceling Batgirl, and the uncertain future for the DC department. With so much news to cover it only seemed right that John and Joe have some backup as Hunter returns to discuss all things WBD.

  • HBO Max Seemingly Removed 200+ ‘Sesame Street’ Episodes

    HBO Max Seemingly Removed 200+ ‘Sesame Street’ Episodes

    At this point, it feels like any news or discovery surrounding HBO Max leads to some rather dark realization about what exactly is happening with Warner Bros. Discovery. There was a laundry list of shows that were pulled from the service, such as Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Infinity Train, and even Elmo’s Not-Too-Late Show. As it turns out, that wasn’t all that was removed.

    As uncovered by Tough Pigs, it seems that around 200 Sesame Street episodes were quietly removed from the service. According to their research, it seems that 250 legacy episodes were removed from the streaming service. They share that 29 episodes from the first 38 seasons still remain on the service.

    The service was the home of the largest amount of Sesame Street episodes. The whole point of streaming services was to offer an archived home for iconic franchises, TV Shows, and movies that people want to revisit. Sesame Street has quite the legacy and having access to the series is perfect for those seeking the nostalgia to share with their kids.

    Warner Bros. Discovery is pulling a lot from HBO Max, which was revealed to save money on tax and residuals. They’ve outright taken shows down but removing the episode opens up even more questions on what exactly the point is. If they aren’t trying to keep these shows for a later release on the new combined streaming service. At this point, there’s a discussion

    Source: Tough Pig